The PPZ King II
by Cakedecorator
Summary: The Lion King II with the characters of the PPZ (OC's included) in their shoes. After Luke takes the throne, he and his queen, Momoko, have a beautiful daughter named Kaarii. On the other hand, Berserk and her followers are planning on using Kare's intended successor, Josh, to kill Luke and "seal his fate" - but let's just say Poochi, the robotic pooch, has other, romantic ideas.


**Hope you like this next story. This is basically the movie "Lion King II: Simba's Pride" with the characters of the PPGZ/PPG, OC's included, in the shoes of some the roles. There are going to be some differences between this shot and the movie, so I hope you can point them out and like them. **

**Now, The Cat Whispurrer's OC Luke Armstrong/Solar Blade is used with his permission. This also applies to Super Bash's OC, Josh Jones/Super Bash.**

**My OC, Shiimasutou Kaarii/Feminine Bridgette, will be the star of our show, with Josh as her leading man. **

**Now, actual characters from the PPGZ WILL be present here. Here's a brief cast list before we start.**

**Kiara: Kaarii**

**Kovu: Josh**

**Simba: Luke**

**Nala: Momoko**

**Mufasa: Bruce (Luke's father)**

**Nuka: Bosco (My RRBZ OC)**

**Vitani: Bellicose (My PPNKZ OC)**

**Zira: Berserk**

**Scar: Kare (HIM)**

**Zazu: Ken**

**Rafiki: Peach/Poochi**

**Timon: Rikiya (Another OC of The Cat Whispurrer)**

**Pumbaa: Takaaki**

**Now, Miyako/Bubbles and Kaoru/Buttercup won't have major roles, but they WILL have cameos here. If you're confused on some of the characters here, then check out my or the Cat Whispurrer's other stories to clear up the confusion. We can't exactly have a pleasant show if the audience has no idea who is who or what is where. But then again, I'm sure the majority of you have seen The Lion King and its sequel, so I think that you'll be fine.**

**Now, I know a lot of the lyrics in some of these songs are in Swahili, Zulu, or something to that affect, so I'll try to put in translations for the songs.**

**I neither own Disney, nor PPGZ, just as a warning. **

**Hope you enjoy the show!**

* * *

Music was playing in the background of the kingdom of the Powerlands. It was dark out one night, and many of the citizens of the kingdom were either awake early, or still sleeping. However, once a small breeze with leaves and flowers in the wind blew by, they seemed to stop what they were doing. One family started to walk in a different direction, almost as if guided by the wind.

Another family started to follow its path, as if they knew that something was going on and needed their attention; the breeze was beside them, almost as if the wind was the guide to wherever they were going. This seemed to applied to other groups of people who were all traveling in different ways to make it to a certain place.

_"Night… And the spirit of light… Calling Oh, oh, iyo."_ Music sang, as the people were making their way towards somewhere. Everyone was going to that particular place.

_"Oh, mamela (listen). Oh, oh, iyo."_ The song once again sang, as the people were walking in step to the music.

On top of the railing of a balcony that overlooking the land, there was a dog that appeared to be an android of some kind. He was wagging his tail and beckoning everyone in the kingdom to come closer.

_"Ubukhosi bo khokho (Throne of the ancestors) We ndodana ye sizwe sonke (Oh, son of the nation)"_

Everyone was still walking towards the designated spot.

There were helicopters near the mountain and people were in aircraft to see the commotion while there were still people down on the ground. Some of the citizens started to walk to catch up with everyone.

_"Wait! There is no mountain too great! (Oh, oh, iyo). Hear the words and have faith (Oh, oh, iyo) Have faith."_

Everyone was walking to a palace that was majestic and proud; others were driving there, but overall, it was a big crowd that was heading towards the palace.

_"Hela hm mamela (Hey, listen) Hela hm mamela (Hey, listen) Hela hm mamela (Hey, listen) Hela hm mamela (Hey, listen)"_

The robotic dog opened his arms up to the sky.

_"He lives in you. (Hela hm mamela (Hey, listen))"_

Up in the clouds was a man with blackish-green eyes, and black hair. He had a majestic air about him, and he was glowing, while watching everything.

_"He lives in me! (Hela hm mamela (Hey, listen))"_

The wind generated by the spirit of the man in the sky blew around the robotic dog, and it felt good on his metallic skin, and he soon looked down at everyone at the palace, who had gathered around for a special occasion.

_"He watches over (Hela hm mamela (Hey, listen)) everything we see (Hela hm mamela (Hey, listen))"_

While the breeze created by the spirit up in the sky blew around everyone, they all started to get on their knees and bow, as if paying their respects and honoring someone or something.

_"Into the water (Hela hm mamela (Hey, listen)) Into the truth (Hela hm mamela (Hey, listen))"_

As the breeze went back up into the sky, it surrounded the robot dog again, and then he turned to a young man and woman, while giving them a cuddle by leaping into the young man's arms.

_"In your reflection (Hela hm mamela (Hey, listen)) He lives in you (Hela hm mamela (Hey, listen))"_

The young man, the king, had hair that was pitch black, as were his eyes, but they held a warm light inside of them. He was wearing a black military jacket with gold buttons and epaulets, and a small crown on his head. Next to him was his wife and queen. She was a woman around his age, around a foot shorter than him. Her hair was red, and her eyes were a coral-pink color. She was wearing her hair in a high ponytail with a large, red bow. Her dress was a red-coral color and she was wearing a crown, as well. She was holding a child in her arms, and by the looks of it, the baby had only been born the day before at the least, so its eyes were still shut.

_"Hela hm mamela (Hey, listen), Hela hm mamela (Hey, listen)"_

Meanwhile, a younger boy with black hair and silver-blue eyes was standing off the side, while bowing in honor of the birth of the royal child.

The young man soon put the robot dog down and then he took his baby, and raised it up to show everyone in the kingdom. Everyone was soon cheering and whooping in delight, as the breeze was blowing through the crowd. Up in the sky, the spirit was smiling down on the little child.

The breeze started to blow around the king, before going around the queen, and both were feeling the pleasant breeze of feeling the presence of the deceased king.

_"He lives in you…"_

The breeze began to blow around the baby, and as it smiled, the child started to swat at the wind, playfully, and the breeze went back to blowing around the robot dog.

_"He lives in you! (Hela hm mamela (Hey, listen)) He lives in me! (Hela hm mamela (Hey, listen)), he watches over everything we see (Hela hm mamela (Hey, listen))"_

Everyone in the crowd was cheering while the breeze of the previous king was blowing through, with everything happening in a blast.

Some of the people were so happy that they were splashing in the water puddles, and soon, after startling a flock of doves, the birds took flight and were flying around and behind the ceremony.

_"Into the water (Hela hm mamela (Hey, listen)) Into the truth (Hela hm mamela (Hey, listen))"_

The breeze of the previous king was still blowing around and soon, the current king lowered his child while, with one hand, putting a necklace with the royal seal around the baby's neck.

_"In your reflection. He lives in you…"_

The king and queen were then showing their child a lot of affection and love, as the little baby was giggling and cooing in the arms of its father.

Off to the side, two boys were standing, having seen the entire ceremony; they were quite pleased. One boy had silver hair and steel-grey eyes, but he was muscular and had a friendly look on his face. The boy next to him was a blue-eyed blonde, wearing blue clothing. He seemed to be the more reserved type of person.

"Oi, Takaaki, look at the little guy," The silver-haired boy told his friend. "He's going to be a chip off the old block! And I'll bet you gotta know who's going to raise him."

"His parents?" Takaaki asked, raising an eyebrow; the answer to that question was somewhat obvious.

"Well… Technically, you're right," The silver-haired boy said, scratching his head in relief. "But I'm referring to who is going to show him the ropes of the _really_ crucial stuff in life. Like how to be polite when belching, or hunt for the safest fruit to eat in the wild."

The boy demonstrated such things, and then turning to his blue-clas friend and putting his hands on his shoulder, he said, "I'm telling you, dude! It's going to be back in the old days with Luke; you, me, and the little guy."

King Luke started to laugh a little bit, as did his queen, and the robotic dog. The robotic dog stopped laughing long enough, and then he said, "Takaaki, Rikiya, I hate to break it to you two, but this little one is a girl."

"Girl." Rikiya said, correcting himself.

_**"GIRL?!**_ Oi…" Rikiya and Takaaki shouted, before fainting; they were understandably surprised when they heard the baby prince was really a _princess_.

* * *

After six years, the little princess had grown up quite a bit. Running out of her bedroom, to the courtyard of the castle, the princess was revealed to have shoulder-length, chocolate-brown hair, and her eyes were a pastel pink, which held light filled with excitement and curiosity. She was wearing some casual clothing that was meant for being worn outside. It consisted of a pastel-pink miniskirt with miniature diamonds on it, she was wearing a pink blouse with puffed sleeves. She was wearing pink Mary-Jane shoes with white, knee-high stockings. The little girl soon saw the world of the kingdom she was meant to rule someday.

Her eyes lit up, and she said, "Wow…"

She was about to leave the courtyard, when her father, King Luke, stopped her, and he said, "Whoa, where do you think you're going?"

The princess turned her back while giggling, and she was about to take off, when her father grabbed her by the arm.

"Daddy, let go!" The princess said, as she was giggling.

"Now, I only want you to be safe…" Luke began, but his daughter was soon chasing a pink butterfly that was fluttering around.

Grabbing her by the arm again, Luke said, "Kaarii, are you listening to me? Accidents happen, but you could easily get…"

"Get hurt, stepped on, or even lost." Kaarii repeated; it was clear that she had heard this many times before.

"Remember, I want you to stay in sight of the palace…" Luke began, but...

"At all times," Kaarii repeated. "Don't talk to strangers, and come straight home if I do. Okay, I get it; can I go now? Please?"

"Nice try…" Luke said, with a chuckle; his queen came up next to him.

"Mind your father, Kaarii." The queen said, as she came up to her husband and wrapped her arm around his.

"Yes, mother." Kaarii said, with a smile and an eye roll.

"And please stay away from the Punklands." Luke said.

"There's nothing there except for a bunch of backstabbing, treacherous, murderous outcasts." The young boy, with grey-blue eyes, and black hair said, as he came up to the group.

"Ken's right about that," Luke said. "You can't turn your back on them."

"Why not?" Kaarii asked.

"Never mind that," Luke said, changing the subject. "Just run along."

"But…" Kaarii began, trying to insist.

"You'll understand someday." Luke said, simply.

"Dad…" Kaarii began, with a smile; she hugged her parents before running out of the courtyard to go play.

"Don't forget to stay on the path that I've marked for you, okay?" Luke shouted.

"Luke, who does she remind you of?" Luke's queen asked.

"Huh? Who?" Luke asked his queen, as he failed to understand his wife.

"She's just like you when we were kids." The queen said, as she nuzzled her face against the side of his chest.

"Exactly," Luke said. "Do you realize the danger and hazardous situations we put ourselves in, Momoko?"

Momoko then pulled her king closer to her and she said, "I think what you meant to say is the dangers that _you_ put us in."

They two kissed and they hugged for a few seconds, and Momoko said, "She's going to be okay."

Momoko left her husband's presence, leaving King Luke alone in the courtyard. After he knew she was gone, Luke looked to the side, and he said, "Hey, Rikiya, Takaaki, come here!"

Hearing the voice of their king, and best friend, Takaaki and Rikiya ran over to Luke's side, and Rikiya said, "Good morning, captain."

"I need you guys to keep a close eye on Kaarii," Luke asked his friends. "Knowing her, she'll take off without a second thought."

"No worries, Luke; we're on her like claws on Takaaki's hands." Rikiya said.

"Oi!" Takaaki barked back.

"Its the truth, Takaaki." Rikiya said.

Takaaki had a history of being able to turn into a werewolf whenever he was angry to a very high degree. He would only be able to change back when the love of his life, Miyako, who was one of Momoko's best friends, could make him come to his senses.

"Guys, I'm counting on you," Luke said. "Danger and hazards could be lurking around every corner, so don't take your eyes off of her."

The boy started slinking around, and skulking about to go and follow Kaarii.

Kaarii, meanwhile, was running through the grass, chasing a butterfly that was flying around. She felt really happy and was having fun.

"Hey, come back here! I only want to play!" Kaarii said, as she kept running and chasing the butterfly. The butterfly soon stopped on a bush, and Kaarii got down low to practice her stealth. "Alright, then…"

It was customary for girls in the royal household, whether they be royals or servants, to learn how to hunt; the mentality of the nation was that women were more than capable of being rulers or anything else a man would traditionally be.

Kaarii leaped onto the bush, only for the butterfly to fly off in surprise; looking up, Kaarii soon saw the outskirts of the Powerlands. She saw that there was a reddish-brown, barren place up ahead, separated from the Powerlands by a river; she knew _exactly_ what that area was.

"Whoa…" Kaarii said, as she took a few steps and soon started to look in that place's direction. "Cool… The Punklands. I wonder what could be out there…"

Behind her, in the taller grass, there was rustling behind her, and soon, the source of the one making the noise was coming closer. However, Kaarii seemed to have heard the stalker in question, as it got closer. Kaarii grew a little curious; she turned behind her, and she screamed in fright.

Turned out it was Takaaki and Rikiya who were behind her; as a reaction, they were screaming in response, and soon, Kaarii backed up, freaked out. She fell off one of the rocks that she was standing on, only to land in a deep body of water.

Seeing this, the boys ran up to the edge of the water, and soon, Takaaki, in fright, said, "Don't worry, Kaarii! Takaaki's coming!"

Takaaki dove into the water, only to land in the exact spot that Kaarii had fallen into. Rikiya, freaking out over the possibility of Takaaki squishing the little princess, started to panic and started to figure out what he would say to Luke.

"Gee, Luke, the good news is, we found your little girl; the bad news: we dropped a grown man on her," Rikiya scripted, trying to figure out the situation. "Any problems with that?"

"Kaarii? Kaarii?" Takaaki asked, as he was looking around, trying to find the princess.

"Takaaki!" Rikiya shouted, from up above. "Let me define 'baby sitting'!"

Getting the hint, Takaaki scrambled to stand up, and Kaarii poked her head out of the water, only to start coughing and spitting water out of her mouth.

After getting her air back, Kaarii looked back at Takaaki, and she gave him a glare.

"Sorry about that…" Takaaki sheepishly said. As Kaarii made her way out of the water, Takaaki followed her, but not without getting on her case. "Now Princess Kaarii, as Luke's daughter, you know better than to go off on your own. You could have gotten yourself hurt."

Kaarii rung her hair out as Takaaki was giving her the lecture, and Rikiya said, "Hurt!"

Landing down on the ground, Rikiya did a checkover on Kaarii, and he said, "Your father would kill us! You didn't break a bone, did you?"

"Hold…" Kaarii began, but...

"Fever? Hangnail?" Rikiya said, as he looked over Kaarii's hand.

"Rikiya…" Kaarii said, as she took her hand back.

"There was a time that I had one." Rikiya said.

"Boy, was it painful." Takaaki said, with a chuckle.

"Excruciating!" Rikiya said, as he took a large leave and hung it over Kaarii's head; she looked at Rikiya with confusion in her eyes. "Hon, with your complexion, you should stay out of the sun."

Kaarii rolled her eyes and she took the leaf away.

"What? Do you want to get wrinkled?" Rikiya asked.

"Can you just listen up?!" Kaarii shouted.

"I wasn't listening, sorry; did you say something, princess?" Rikiya asked, proving Kaarii's point.

"A princess isn't all I am! That's just one part of me." Kaarii said.

"What are the other parts?" Takaaki asked, with a chuckle; he knew Kaarii was right about being more than just a princess.

"Well… I… um… I…" Kaarii said, not sure what to say; she had no idea.

"Well, while you're thinking it over, let's eat." Rikiya said, as he and Takaaki came over to a berry bush and started to harvest it.

"Berries are definitely the fruits of the land." Takaaki said.

"And they're chock-full with antioxidants and fiber, not to mention sweet." Rikiya said, as he ate one.

"No thanks…" Kaarii said, shaking her head.

Kaarii was actually very good about eating fruits and vegetables; she was just always cautious when it came to wild fruits and vegetables, as she had always been warned never to do such a thing, so even though Takaaki and Rikiya were the ones picking the fruit, Kaarii remained cautious.

"Really? How about you, Takaaki?" Rikiya asked.

"I love berries!" Takaaki said.

"Love! Not like; love!" Rikiya and Takaaki said, before sharing a high-five and chowing down.

However, Takaaki's face contorted before spitting his berry out onto the ground beside him.

"Dude! Stop that! It's really annoying that you always take a bite and spit it out." Rikiya said, expressing his displeasure at his friend.

"Sorry, Rikiya, but you can't tell from the outside which berries are the tart and crisp one." Takaaki explained.

"Tart and crisp?" Rikiya said, as he chuckled; Kaarii rolled her eyes at the exchange. "Sorry to break it to you, but it's the juicy and sweet ones that make the snack."

"Tart and crisp!" Takaaki argued.

"Juicy and sweet!" Rikiya shot back.

The two boys started to argue, and Kaarii was out of the loop of the conversation. However, she took note that she was try close to the Punklands, and with her curiosity peaked, she decided to slip away and go to explore there. She left the marked path and went off to the barren land of the Punklands.

* * *

Kaarii soon made it to the edge of the Powerlands, and she was at the river that separated the Powerlands from the Punklands. Kaarii hopped onto a log that was connecting the two lands, and she walked across it like an accomplished gymnast.

As soon as she made it to the other side, she was about to step down, but she tripped, and she bumped into a boy around her age before falling down. He also fell down.

Once the boy came to his senses, he got up and started becoming hostile towards Kaarii, which caused her to gasp and make some distance; approaching with an angry face on, which made Kaarii keep backing up, and getting ready to fight her, he demanded, "Who are you, Powerlander?"

Getting a better look, the boy was a brunette, just like Kaarii, but his eyes were a pale yellow, and his complexion was a just a hair darker than Kaarii's. His hair was slightly messy, but he was otherwise very handsome.

Kaarii kept moving and repositioning herself to keep her back away from the boy's, and while she still felt scared, she was ready to defend herself, should she need to; the boy kept repositioning himself as well to get in front of Kaarii, but she kept moving away to keep her front to him.

"What are you doing?" He asked, raising his eyebrows, and his face becoming a little less angry.

"My daddy said never to turn your back on an outsider!" Kaarii declared.

"You always do what your daddy says?" The boy asked, teasingly.

"No! I wouldn't be here if I did!" Kaarii said.

"I'll bet you do!" The boy teased. "Bet you're just a 'daddy's girl'! Hahahaha!"

Kaarii did not make any comeback. She merely looked down, as the boy she had run into had it right.

"Outsiders like me don't need anyone," The boy said, as he went onto what appeared to be a rock in the river, and sat down. "I am capable of being completely on my own."

"Is that true?" Kaarii asked, with a hint f jealousy in her voice, as she followed the boy onto the rock. However, what neither child realized was that the rocks were not rocks at all, but gators. "That's so cool; I'm so jealous."

The boy turned back to Kaarii, but he soon saw the gator rising up behind her. His face became afraid and as the gator opened its mouth behind Kaarii, he started to scream.

Turning behind her, Kaarii saw what was scaring the boy, and she also screamed; narrowly escaping the snap of the gator's jaws, she shouted, "Let's go!"

Both kids found themselves on an actual rock that time, but the gator rose back up and snapped its jaws again; this time, the boy jumped onto a higher point on the rock, where Kaarii is.

"Follow me!" Kaarii shouted, as she jumped off the rock, with the boy following her; the gator rose up onto the rock and snapped its jaws again.

The two kids were jumping on rocks that were smaller and lower in the water, and they soon found themselves on two more rocks that were juxtapose to each other.

They started to breath heavily.

"Geez, that was a close call." The boy said.

"I know what you mean…" Kaarii said, with a light giggle.

The rocks began to move again, but it turned out that the kids were on top of even more gators. The boy jumped to avoid getting bitten while Kaarii climbed onto a branch.

The boy started to hop on top of the gators, and Kaarii shouted, "Hey, what about me?"

"I'll create a diversion!" The boy said, as he kept hopping on top of gators. He soon found himself on top of one, but it started to move again. The boy fell into the water while trying to stay balanced, and he was face-to-face with another gator as soon as he resurfaced.

Kaarii was backing up on the branch, trying to get away from the gator about to get her, only to see the gator coming after the boy. She shouted, "Incoming!"

The boy swam to a branch, but just as the gator was about to snap, Kaarii jumped on top of the gator's mouth, causing its jaws to snap shut, before telling the boy, "Get going!"

The boy clambered out of the water and up the branch; Kaarii followed him, but she had to lose her balance for a second, as a gator snapped the branch. She soon jumped and landed on solid ground with the boy.

They were soon breathing heavily, now safe from the gators; the two came over to the edge of the cliff and saw the gators were unable to climb up to them.

"Wow… I did it… I totally did it!" Kaarii said, before laughing; the two kids soon got a little further away from the edge of the cliff and they were laughing happily.

"Wow! Did you see how huge those teeth were?" Kaarii said, as she and the boy started laughing and talking about their escapade.

However, what neither of them knew was that they were being watched; from behind some trees was an older woman, with red hair in a long, disheveled ponytail. It was tied up with messy, red hair ribbons that were going in all directions. She had deep red eyes, was wearing a hot pink polo shirt with a red collar and button, a red and pink plaid skirt, white tights and black Mary Janes; she was not liking the scene she was seeing between the boy and Kaarii.

"We make such a good team!" Kaarii said, as she managed to calm down. She turned to the boy with a very impressed smile on her face. "And you…"

The boy looked at Kaarii in questioning, but he was surprised to hear her say, "I was so impressed by how brave you were."

"Yeah? Aw, thanks," The boy said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, before looking at Kaarii. "You were pretty brave back there, too. My name's Josh."

Kaarii got a little closer to Josh, started to bat her eyelashes, and she said, "I'm Kaarii."

Hearing that name, the woman who was spying on them started to growl a little bit, and her face became quite angry.

Kaarii then lightly hit Josh on the shoulder, saying, "Tag! You're it!"

She started to jump around, and run a little bit, expecting Josh to chase her, but Josh was just looking at her, confused. Kaarii tried again, tagging Josh, and saying, "Tag! You're it! You're it!"

Josh did not seem to understand what Kaarii was doing; Kaarii noticed this, and she said, "Um… You're supposed to run, and I'm supposed to tag; understand?"

Josh's face merely contorted in confusion, and Kaarii read this, before asking, "Don't you know how to play?"

Realizing that Josh did, in fact, not know how to play, she did a different game; Josh seemed to understand where this game was going, and was about to play along, when...

A large shadow cast over them, and the source of the shadow was Luke, who was glaring in one direction, cracking his knuckles, ready to fight; Josh backed off in fear, while Kaarii looked up at her father in surprise.

The woman from the trees also came out, and she also started to glare at Luke, and was in a fighting stance as well.

Both kids looked at what appeared to be their parent; Kaarii was looking at Luke in surprise, while Josh was looking at the woman in surprise, as well.

"Berserk." Luke said, with venom; he was not happy to see her.

"Luke." The woman, Berserk said, also in distaste. She was ready to fight, as she prepared to punch, when shadows came over her.

Turned out that Luke had brought some of the guards from the palace; two of them were female guards. One of the women guards was a pigtailed blonde with baby blue eyes, but rather than carrying a weapon, she was merely standing there. Next to her was a girl with smoke-blue hair in spikes as well as emerald green eyes. Others amongst the group were Momoko, Takaaki, and Rikiya, all of whom were quite upset and ready to fight.

"Momoko." Berserk said, her face filled with an unpleasant air.

"Berserk." Momoko said, also not quite happy with the situation.

"Rikiya, Takaaki," Rikiya said, as he introduced himself and Takaaki; he was trying to be comical to lighten the tense mood. "Okay, so now that we're all acquainted with one another… GET OUT OF OUR POWERLANDS!"

Rikiya himself started to get aggressive while Takaaki stood his ground with an upset look on his face.

"_Your_ Powerlands?" Berserk inquired, as she turned on Takaaki and Rikiya and glared at them with hate. The boys did not really react, but they were ready to fight.

Turning back to Luke, she said, "These lands belong to _Kare_."

"I exiled you from the Powerlands," Luke said, as he came closer to Berserk. "Now you, and your son, _get out_."

Josh cowered behind Berserk while Kaarii did the same behind her father; they were pretty scared that the two parents were going to fight.

"Oh?" Berserk said, as she smiled wickedly, and started to move aside to present Josh, and started to walk around him, before giving Luke a hard glare. "Haven't you met my son, Josh? He was hand-picked by Kare to continue his legacy and become _king_."

Luke merely narrowed his eyes and glared while Josh started to shake a little bit in fear.

"That's no king; that's just a little tyke." Rikiya said, teasing Josh.

"Josh was the last born before _you_ came back, killed Kare, and then exiled us to the Punklands," Berserk said, as she started to have a sad look on her face. "Where we don't have much in the way of food, and water isn't as readily available to us."

"You know the punishment for coming back to the Powerlands!" Luke declared, as he turned his glare on Berserk.

"_I_ do, but Josh _doesn't_," Berserk said, before grabbing her son's arm and lightly tossed him to Luke. "But if you need someone to inflict pain on, here."

Josh was shaking and shuddering in the presence of the king, and while the king was looking down on him, Josh was ready to be hurt. Berserk was looking at Luke with a smirk on her face, almost as if expecting Luke to kill her son.

Seeing how frightened the little boy was, Luke merely gave him a gentle pat on the head, before turning to Berserk and saying, "I know better than to hurt an innocent child; take him and get out!"

He turned back to his group, and took Kaarii by the hand, while saying, "We're done here."

"Oh, no, Luke," Berserk said, as she came closer to Kaarii and gave her a wicked smile. "We've only _just_ started."

Berserk kept looking at Kaarii and giggling evilly. Kaarii looked at Berserk in mild fear.

Berserk, on the other hand, took Josh's arm ands tarted to bring him back into the Punklands. He was looking at Kaarii sadly.

"Bye…" Kaarii quietly said, as she was being dragged away by her father; they were going to an armored car while the guards were walking outside.

"Bye…" Josh replied back, being pulled back by his own mother.

* * *

On the path back to the palace, Luke had the car stop nearby a bench, while still holding Kaarii's arm.

"Luke…" Momoko said, getting out of the car, and turning back to her husband.

Luke made a gesture towards his queen; Momoko seemed to get the hint, and then with a smile, she started to walk alongside with the guards.

Luke got out of the car as well, holding on to Kaarii's arm, and after shutting the door, the car slowly drove off after the queen and the others. Kaarii was sat down onto the bench. Kaarii smiled sheepishly at her father, who merely gave her a hard look and narrowed his eyes at her.

Seeing that her father was upset, she lowered her face and lost her smile.

"Kaarii, what were you thinking you were up to?" Luke asked, more out of concern than anger. "You could have died today."

"I'm sorry, father; I didn't mean to…" Kaarii began, but her father cut her off.

"I'm saying this because I love and care about you; I can't bear to lose you." Luke said, before giving his daughter a hug.

"I know…" Kaarii said.

"I don't know what I would do if something happened," Luke said. "I'm not going to be on this earth forever; once I'm gone, I need you to take my place. You're part of the…"

"Armstrong royal family, I get it." Kaarii said; she obviously had heard this talk more times than she could count.

"Precisely," Luke said. "So you need to be cautious… As the next queen…"

"Has it ever occurred to you that I might not _want_ to be queen?" Kaarii said, turning her back, and sitting down. "What fun is it?"

"That's almost like saying you don't want to be an Armstrong; its in your blood, just like me," Luke said. "We're part of each other."

Luke then gave his daughter a playful shove off of the bench, and she fell onto her rear end; she looked up to her father, who was smiling and looking at his daughter with a glint of mischief.

Kaarii stood up and she went to her father's side; he put a hand on her shoulder and gestured up to a family of birds.

Luke sang, _"As you go through life you'll see, there is so much that we don't understand."_

Father and daughter were watching the birds up in the nest. The mother bird was feeding her chicks, but one bird went off on its own and started to practice flying; Kaarii looked up at the bird with a smile, thinking that the bird would fly off on its own and be free.

_"And the only thing we know, is things don't always go the way we planned."_ Luke sang, as the duo saw the mother bird catch its chick trying to fly, and drove him back to the nest; Luke started to walk away, while Kaarii looked down disappointedly, before following her father.

Luke came up to the top of a grassy hill in the local park, and showed Kaarii a family that was down at the foot. One of the family members was a mother who was trying to help her baby son try to walk. The boy stood up, and stumbled a bit before falling down. The mother picked him up and he started to try again. Luke was looking down at his daughter, as she was watching; her face lit up at one moment.

_"But you'll see every day, that we'll never turn away, when it seems all your dreams come undone."_

She saw that the baby boy started to walk and soon took to running, and soon, his mother followed behind him. They both seemed to be having a good time, and the boy seemed so happy to be on two feet.

_"We will stand by your side, filled with hope and filled with pride."_

Kaarii stopped watching the scene, and while she was in front of her father, she at Luke, who took a few steps forward, in front of Kaarii, and he sang, _"We are more than we are, we are one!"_

He leaped off the hill and started to run back to the palace, with Kaarii following behind him, trying to keep up with him.

Another family was having a picnic; there was a father, a mother, and two kids, the older a boy, and the younger one a girl, and they were all eating in time with each other.

_"Family, family, we are one."_

At the nearby community pool that Luke and Kaarii were passing, another family had their little daughter swimming in the water, and they soon raised her up after she dove in.

_"Family, family, we are one."_

Kaarii walked by the pool's side, and looked at her reflection in the water, with her father behind her, giving her a smile, before moving on; Kaarii was singing, _"If there's so much I must be, can I still just be me, the way I am?"_

After some ripples in the water distorted her reflection, Kaarii looked back up into the sky to see kites in the air, and sang, _"Can I trust in my own heart, or am I just one part of some big plan?"_

Luke, standing on top of some stairs was looking at one star that was in the darkening sky, as the wind blew in his hair; Kaarii came up next to him, while Luke was singing, _"Even those who are gone, are with us as we go on. Your journey has only begun"_

Looking at his daughter, he lifted his head, before looking down at everyone in the kingdom, while singing, _"Tears of pain, tears of joy, one thing nothing can destroy, is our pride, deep inside, we are one!"_

Luke began running through the crowds of people, with Kaarii following him in a fast pace. She kept chasing her father, who would stop every few seconds to make sure Kaarii would keep up with him. He managed to outrun her a few times, while everyone was looking at them in pleasant happiness.

_"Family, family, we are one. Family, family, we are one."_

As the pair kept running, they managed to run through a puddle and soon, they were running up the stairs outside the palace, while the setting sun was above them; Kaarii behind her father.

_"We are one, you and I, we are like the earth and sky. One family under the sun."_

Luke was a few steps higher than his daughter and he stopped to make sure she kept up with him and got to hear what he had to say to her.

_"All the wisdom to lead, all the courage that you need." _Luke sang, as Kaarii caught up to him and looked up.

Luke looked at his daughter with affection, before looking up to the balcony that he and Momoko were on the day that Kaarii was presented to the kingdom the day she was born. Kaarii was looking at the spot in confusion and wonder, not knowing what her father was talking about.

_"You will find when you see… We… Are… One…"_ Luke sang, as he presented the balcony to his daughter. Kaarii was still looking at in confusion.

Looking back at his daughter, he saw the look on her face, and he soon came over to her before telling her, "So long as you live here, its who you are."

He gave her a hug before making his way to the door, telling Kaarii, "One day, you'll figure it out."

Going inside, Kaarii soon saw that the bird she had seen earlier was flying close by. She began watching it, and then as it flew off into the sunset, Kaarii was thinking over her father's speech, but she was still not sure what he was saying.

* * *

Back in the Punklands, it turned out that it was really a barren, desert place with little vegetation. There were desert fruits around to eat, but they were few in number. There were also skeletons all over the place, and there was one building that was tall and high above everything.

There were a lot of people around, fighting over food, and water was scarce.

A boy in his teenage years, with a messy, short mohawk, a nose ring, and wearing punk clothing in Mountbatten pink, with the same color eyes, was walking around, almost as if annoyed about something.

"Josh, Josh, Josh. Kare wasn't even his father; he just adopted him, in a sense." The boy said, venting.

He was coming up behind a young girl with French rose-colored eyes, brunette hair in frizzy hair buns, wearing a messy outfit. It seemed to be something along the lines Berserk would wear, only in French Rose, magenta, and mauve as her theme colors, and with choker bracelets and a matching necklace in French Rose, and she had a fang; she seemed like a tomboy, she was pulling on a branch to find some food to eat.

"Oh, hey, Bellicose, where's little rodent Josh? The _Chosen One_?" The boy said, teasingly to the girl, before using the words 'Chosen One' in annoyance.

Using his bare hand, the boy snapped the branch; this caused the girl to go stumbling backwards and fall on her rear end, while the boy was laughing.

The girl, Bellicose, stood up, before angrily asking who appeared to be her brother, and walking over to him, "Bosco, where's Josh? Did you leave him out there alone again?"

While tugging at the branch, Bosco said, "Hey, it's every person for themselves out here; that little rodent has to learn to fly solo!"

"Mother's going to be really angry; she told you to keep an eye on him!" Bellicose said.

"Who cares? _I_ should have been the Chosen One; out of the three of us, I'm the oldest, smartest, and strongest!" Bosco said, as he was starting to scratch himself; Bellicose was smirking as she was watching her brother.

"If she would only give me a shot, I could be a capable leader!" Bosco complained, as he started to scratch his head; it was probably the dryness of the area they were in, but his skin obviously had some issues.

"Yeah, right; why not tell that to her?" Bellicose said, skeptical of her brother's confidence.

"Don't think I'm not going to!" Bosco declared.

"Well, here's your chance." Bellicose said, with a mocking laugh, pointing over to Berserk, who was coming back, with Josh in tow.

Turning in his mother's direction, Bosco got nervous and he said, "Oh, mother! I found some desert fruits for dinner, I left them…"

Berserk walked right past Bosco, not paying him any attention, while still pulling Josh along; Bosco saw this and said, "By the… Oh, okay…"

He then ran over to his mother's side, as she let go of Josh; his sister, Bellicose, said, "Hey, Josh; want to fight?"

The two kids were getting ready to have a fist fight and everything, and both of them seemed eager to go at it; this was most likely something they were used to, because their mother never seemed to reprimand them.

"You were supposed to be _WATCHING_ HIM!" Berserk hollered, turning on Bosco, who cowered in fear.

Seeing this, Josh turned to his mother and he said, "Don't blame him; I went off alone."

Berserk turned back to Josh, stepping towards him, in anger, and he backed away in response with each step; she asked, "What were you doing?!"

"N-Nothing…" Josh said, in his defense, as he kept backing away while his mother approached him.

"_Who_ has made us outsiders?!" Berserk asked.

"Luke!" Josh said, as he kept backing away.

"Who killed Kare?!" Berserk asked, as she kept coming at her son.

"Luke!" Josh said, as he fell on his back, but kept backing away.

"_What_ have I told you about _THEM?!_" Berserk demanded once more, as Josh kept cowering, and Berserk was soon above close him.

"I-I'm so sorry, mother!" Josh said, scared; Berserk lifted her body up, getting out of Josh's space. "Well I-I… She didn't seem so bad… I thought we could be…"

"Friends?!" Berserk said, lowering her face back into Josh's; he cowered a bit as a response.

"You thought you would get to the daughter, and Luke would welcome you with open arms?" Berserk inquired, sarcastically, as she was walking around in circles around him.

"What an idea!" Berserk said, as she rolled her eyes; however, her facial expression went from upset to pleased when she thought about it a little more. She turned back to Josh with a big smile and got closer to him. "What... an _idea!"_

Josh immediately got a little freaked out. Pulling him closer, Berserk said, "You _brilliant_ little boy! I'm so proud of you! You have the same conniving, plotting mind that made Kare so powerful!"

Josh was obviously scared half to death, as while his mother was stroking his head gently, he was breathing heavily and was looking quite scared.

Bosco gagged a little bit from the side, and hearing this, Berserk turned to him and glared while growling at him, causing Bosco to chuckle nervously.

Berserk then took Josh by the hand, and headed back to the building, which seemed to be the "castle" that everyone in the Punklands used for shelter.

Bosco scoffed behind Berserk's back and said, "Chosen one…"

Inside the "palace" Berserk came into a room, and she dropped Josh onto his bed; it appeared that this was his bedroom, in the center of the building. Josh looked up to Berserk, who was looking down at him with pride.

"I see the path… To our return to power!" Berserk declared; apparently, there were others inside the palace, as they were soon coming around, overhearing what Berserk had told them.

"But I don't want…" Josh began to protest, but...

"Hush!" Berserk barked, but then she got down, closer to Josh, and turned to baby talk tone. "Hush, my little one. You must be so tuckered out…"

She soon got into song; she pulled the covers over her son, before singing, _"Sleep, my little, sweet, Josh. Let your dreams take wing."_

After doing a double check on his bed, Berserk sang, _"One day, when you're big and strong, you will be a king."_

She started to walk out of the bedroom; Josh sheepishly said, "Good night…"

"Good night, my little prince," Berserk said, as she made her way out of the room, into the shadows. "Tomorrow, your training gets kicked up a notch."

Berserk was singing, while walking through the halls, and jumping from ledge to ledge, as the building's halls were a little broken up and had gaps in the floor; she sang, _"I've been exiled, persecuted, left alone without defense!"_

As she came out of the shadows from another hall, she showed her deep red fingernails, which were long and sharp, she sang, _"When I think of what that jerk did, I get a little tense."_

She walked through another hall, with her fellow Punklanders watching her, all with evil smiles on their faces; Berserk sang, _"But I dream a dream so pretty that I don't get so depressed."_

Berserk jumped up a few more ledges while posing before sliding down another side of the hall on her back, backwards, while singing, _"'Cuase it soothes my inner kitty, and it helps me get some rest."_

She landed on a raised part of the floor, with Bellicose and Bosco on the lower end of the floor, eagerly listening to their mother; she sang, _"The sound of that Luke's dying gasp!"_

Bosco pretended to choke and die, while Bellicose and Berserk were watching him.

_"His daughter squealing in my grasp!"_ Berserk sang; Bosco was holding Bellicose by the back of her shirt up close to him, but she swatted at him to make him let go of her.

_"His dumb, little queen's mournful cry! That's my lullaby!"_ Berserk sang, as she sang and stood up, her shadow behind her; she was standing on an internal balcony inside the building, with some peaks of light coming in.

_"Now the past I've tried forgetting, and my foes, I could forgive." _Berserk sang, making gestures with her body.

She soon found a group of ants marching in line through the walls. She then smashed them with her foot, while singing, _"Trouble is, I know its petty, but I hate to let them live!"_

Bosco came up beside her, and he sang, _"So you found yourself somebody who would chase Luke up a tree!"_

Berserk sang, _"Oh, the battle may be bloody, but that kind of works for me."_

She grabbed Bosco's face before pushing him away; she started to run down the stairs and slide down the railing, singing, _"The melody of shouts and growls!"_

On cue, the other people in the building were shouting and roaring in anger.

Berserk came up next to Bosco, and sang, _"A counterpoint of pain and howls!"_

She stomped on Bosco's foot, really hard, and he screamed in pain, as if on cue.

Berserk came to another floor in the palace overlooking some of the lower part of the building, with some of her followers behind her; there was a hole in the wall above her, acting as something of a spotlight, and sang, _"A symphony of death, oh my!"_

She turned to her followers, and put a hand to her chest while singing, _"That's my lullaby."_

Coming back to Josh's room, she did a walk around the bed, while singing, _"Kare is gone, but Berserk's still around…"_

She then came to Josh and sang, _"To love this little lad…"_

Berserk gave Josh a kiss on the cheek before leaving his side, and she used her long fingernails pierce a wall, before dragging them down, leaving a mark, and singing, _"Till he learns to be a killer, with a lust for being bad!"_

She started to walk off, with some of her followers in the room, and with Bosco and Bellicose near Josh's bed. Bosco sang, _"Sleep, you little rodent!"_

Josh turned in his bed, prompting Bosco to correct himself, singing, _"Uh - I mean, precious little thing."_

Bellicose smacked Bosco away, and with a smile, she sang, _"One day, when you're big and strong…"__  
_

Bosco was about to attack, but Berserk interrupted on a higher floor of the bedroom, near a window, and as she ripped the curtains off, she sang, _"You will be a king!"_

As the light came onto Josh, as if it were a spotlight, male and female followers of Berserk came closer to his bed.

Stomping her foot, and with all of her followers running around, Berserk, standing above her son's bed, sang, _"The pounding of drums of war and hate! The sound of Josh sealing his fate!"_

_"The joy of vengeance!" _Bosco sang.

_"Testify!" _Bellicose sang, opening her arms.

Above her kids, with the light behind her, Berserk sang, _"I can hear the cheering!"_

_"Yay, Josh, what a guy!"_ Bellicose and Bosco sang; Bellicose was enthusiastic, but Bosco was merely waving a makeshift white flag with an unhappy look on his face.

Slamming the windows open, and letting more light in, singing, _"Payback time is nearing!"_

She stepped out onto the balcony of Josh's room on the upper floor, and walked out to the edge, while singing, _"And then our flag will fly! Against a blood-red sky!"_

Berserk raised her arms, and she was high above all of her followers inside the "palace", with a setting sun, and she sang, _"That's my lullaby!"_

Berserk started to laugh maniacally as she started to set her plan in motion.

* * *

That evening, in another part of the Powerlands, was a very large doghouse, with the wind generated by the spirit of King Bruce, Luke's father, blowing in the dog house's direction.

Inside, Poochi was doing some digital work, and he pulled up drawings he made of Kaarii and Josh, while telling Bruce's spirit, "Oh, Bruce, every day, Kaarii grows more beautiful, into a queen that will someday be the pride of our kingdom."

However, he made some edits to Josh's picture, while saying, "But this boy Josh, he's also getting stronger each day; Berserk is also filling his heart with hate and loathing for the royal family. I'm very concerned, Bruce; things aren't going too nicely."

The wind generated by Bruce's spirit was blowing around Poochi; he seemed to understand what Bruce was saying, and then as he looked up to a plastic ball that was hanging from the ceiling, Poochi asked, "You have an idea of what to do?"

A plastic ball fell from the shelf onto the ground; it was the type of plastic balls that could break apart in two pieces and then be put back together. Almost as if hearing what Bruce was saying, Poochi looked at the ball, and then he said, "What?"

Picking up the two pieces, and going over to the pictures of Kaarii and Josh, Poochi slowly started to bring the two pieces together, saying, "Josh… Kaarii… Together?"

Poochi then encased the two pictures into the ball's two halves as he brought the ball together, and then he asked, "_This_ is the plan?"

After dropping the ball, Poochi shouted, "Have you lost your nut?! There's no way this is going to work! Oh, Bruce, you're head's in the clouds; you've been up there _way_ too long!"

Bruce's wind started blowing around Poochi again, almost as if insisting on going through the plan, and then Poochi shouted, "Alright, alright, alright! Okay, alright! I trust you, albeit I'm skeptical of this. I just hope you know what you're doing!"

The wind spiraled back up into the sky, leaving Poochi alone.

After twelve years, both Kaarii and Josh were eighteen. Back at the Punklands, Berserk was in Josh's room, looking over her son; she smiled and said, "You _are_ ready."

She started to walk around Josh's bed, and she said, "Nice, _very_ nice. You've got the same darkness in your soul that Kare had."

Josh, now eighteen, had grown more muscular, more handsome, and taller; his attire was mostly yellow, and his hair was still a nice brown color while his eyes were still the same pale yellow that he had as a child.

"What is your destiny?" Berserk asked, with a smile on her face, as she kept walking around Josh's bed.

"I will exact revenge for Kare; take his spot in the Powerlands." Josh said, with a dark, cold tone of voice.

"Yes!" Berserk said, pleased with what she was hearing. "What have I taught you?"

"Luke is the enemy." Josh recited, as he retained his posture and tone.

"And what… Must… You… Do?!" Berserk asked, her eyes holding a look of insanity and eagerness in them.

"I must _kill_ him; end his life." Josh said.

This resulted in a series of cheers and whistles from the crowd around him, as almost everyone in the Punklands was in the room, ready to take back their "home" of the Powerlands.

Back in said Powerlands, it was the day of Kaarii's first game hunt; it was customary for both princes and princesses of the royal family to learn how to hunt game for food. The traditional method of choice was archery with the aim being right at the game's heart or shooting with a gun, depending on the royal's personal choice.

At the castle's courtyard, Luke sighed, knowing that his little girl had grown up and it was a big day for Kaarii. Momoko came up to her husband's side, and wrapped her arms around Luke's one arm.

"There she is!" One of the guards said; the pigtailed, blue-eyed blonde, specifically. Her name was Miyako. She was standing next to Takaaki, who had his arm wrapped around her shoulder.

Rikiya had the smoke-blue haired, green-eyed tomboy guard next to him; her name was Kaoru, and while she was not intimate with Rikiya, it was obvious they were close with each other.

Coming out from the castle doors, Kaarii, now eighteen, now a few feet taller with her hair still in its usual shoulder-length style, wearing a pale pink women's archery uniform, a pink skirt. She still had her pastel pink eyes, and a pink quiver of arrows on her back. She also had a pink compound bow in her hand, and was looking a little nervous.

"Kaarii." Poochi said, with a smile on his face; Ken had approached from the side, watching in pride at the princess's emergence until adulthood.

Takaaki and Rikiya shared a high-five, in pride. They were proud that they had helped raise a beautiful girl.

"Its your day!" "Your first game hunt!" "You've grown so much!"

Kaarii approached her parents; Momoko came over to her daughter and gave her a hug, very proud of her.

"You'll be great." Momoko said.

Kaarii looked over to her father, who was looking down in mild defeat; Kaarii asked, "Daddy?"

Hearing her voice, Luke looked up and saw her daughter looking at him.

"You have to promise me to let me fly solo on this, okay? Promise?" Kaarii asked.

Luke looked to Momoko, who gave him a certain look in her face; reading her mind, Luke said, "All right; I promise."

Kaarii gave her father a hug, and this cued for Rikiya and Takaaki to get a little emotional, as they watched the scene. Kaarii soon went to the exit of the castle courtyard, before turning to look back at her family; she smiled and started to make her way into the forest.

Luke was watching her leave, and Rikiya and Takaaki came up beside him to see Kaarii off. However, Luke, after doing a quick check to make sure no one was watching them, Luke whispered to his friends, "Make sure she doesn't get injured."

Getting the message, Takaaki and Rikiya pretended to be casual as they tried to sneak off; they slipped away unnoticed.

Kaarii found a flock of wild turkeys out in the open of a field in the forest. Kaarii herself was hiding in the bushes. Because she was wearing pink, she had to remain as inconspicuous as possible by being silent. She nocked her arrow in and was about to aim, but she stepped on a tree branch, and she was breathing too hard.

This startled the turkeys, and they started started to run and fly away short distances; Kaarii groaned in annoyance and started to run after the turkeys, to find a chance to corner and shoot one.

Meanwhile, at a familiar scene - well, familiar for some - the hideout for some of Kare's previous allies, which were shadow demons.

Bosco and Bellicose, also older, were carrying sticks in their hands, at the entrance of the darkest area of the hideout.

It was an area outside the Powerlands that was somewhat inhospitable, sort of like the Punklands. However, there was geological activity in the place, but it seemed abandoned. There were craters that spouted steam, and a lot of ignited, trace stones, and it was surrounded by rocks.

"Ugh…" Bosco said, as he shuddered, and started to rub his arms. "This place has gotten even creepier since the shadow demons ran off."

Bellicose rolled her eyes and started to walk away from her brother.

"Hey, I'm not scared, okay?" Bosco said, scoffing, but the sound of steam coming from the craters startled him into moving.

Bellicose put some of the sticks onto an active crater, ignoring her brother's comments.

"I just don't know why we have to be here," Bosco said, with a scoff. "If Josh is so _special_, why does he need us?!"

The noise of steam startled Bosco, and then he said, "I never even had a chance!"

Hot steam and fire came out from the crater behind him; he was spooked and then he ran over to his sister's side, before shuddering and shaking in place.

Bellicose rolled her eyes at her brother before watching he crater; it erupted, too, and it ignited the large, thick sticks that the pair had gathered.

"That's it!" Bellicose said, as she took one of the sticks into her hand. "Come on! Kaarii has started hunting; move it!"

She stopped to look at her brother, who put his face too close to the crater; he had an eruption hit him in the face, but he laughed at the rush, and then started to follow his sister out of the hideout.

Meanwhile, back at the Powerlands, Takaaki and Rikiya were running around, trying to find and keep Kaarii safe. The pair was running around through the trees, trying to be able to find Kaarii without getting caught.

They hid behind trees, bushes, branches, rocks, and everything in between. Rikiya had found himself sitting behind a rock, while Takaaki was up a tree, looking from higher ground.

"Takaaki, what's your position?" Rikiya asked, from below.

"Up in the tree above you." Takaaki said, rolling his eyes.

Rikiya smacked himself in the face before spotting Kaarii, who was hiding behind a bush, trying her best to get her arrow ready to shoot the same turkey flock she had been chasing earlier.

"Bingo." Rikiya said.

Kaarii was still sneaking around, trying to get to the turkeys, who were pecking at the ground, trying to get food. Kaarii took a step forward, but managed to avoid stepping on another branch with one foot; however, her other foot landed on the branch, causing it to snap, and the turkeys immediately took off again.

"Ugh!" Kaarii said, as she started to give chase to the turkeys, her arrow back in its quiver and her bow without an arrow in it, while running.

Meanwhile, Rikiya and Takaaki had regrouped back on the ground, only for the turkeys to flap and fly straight at them. The two men ducked and covered while the turkeys ran past them.

"Man! What is this? 'The running of the turkeys'?" Rikiya asked, as he and Takaaki stood back up, after the turkeys had passed.

The two boys soon looked behind them to see Kaarii, breathing heavily, and an angry look on her face; the boys screamed in surprise.

The boy chuckled sheepishly, and then Kaarii asked, "Rikiya, what are you doing here?"

"Um… We… Er…" Rikiya said, unable to come up with a good answer.

"Don't say a word," Kaarii said, rolling her eyes. "Should've known dad would have sent you to keep tabs on me; AFTER he promised to the contrary! That liar..."

"Come on, don't say that," Takaaki said. "The last thing he wants is for you to come home with external bleeding."

"I _knew_ that dad wouldn't give me a chance to fly solo," Kaarii said, about to cry; she started to run out of the area, her back to her 'babysitters'. "I'll do this completely solo; _away_ from the Powerlands!"

"Now, hold on! Get back here!" Rikiya shouted, as he and Takaaki took off after Kaarii; she had ducked into the taller grass.

After she had found her way out, she had lost Rikiya and Takaaki.

Said boys had gotten lost in the grass, and then Takaaki said, "Damn! She's gone!"

"Someone needs a tracker for that girl." Rikiya said, as he and Takaaki continued to search for the princess.

Kaarii soon found herself in an isolated area out of sight from the palace; she looked back for a second before scoffing and continuing her hunt.

Seeing that she was alone, Bellicose and Bosco, still holding their sticks, were ready to get started.

"Let's light fire!" Bosco shouted, as he and his sister started to set the grass and some of the bushes aflame with their "matches".

Bellicose formed a straight line of fire with her stick, with an evil giggle; Bosco on the other hand was lighting the fire in designs.

"Roasty-Toasty Princess! Roasty-Toasty Princess!" Bosco said, as he light a fire in a circle, unintentionally surrounding himself in fire. "Um… is it hot or is it just me?"

Realizing what was happening, he literally leaped out of the ring of fire and landed a few meters away. He was laughing and watching his creation, only for Bellicose to nab him by the shoulders and pull him away.

In another part of the area, Kaarii had her bow and arrow ready, aiming for a turkey; it was the same flock as earlier, and she thought that the third attempt would be a success. However, the turkeys seemed to sense something, and they started to fly off.

Kaarii rolled her eyes and started to run after them again; however, she stopped when she saw the tips of the flames from the fire coming, along with smoke. Many of the citizens in the area were running away from the fire.

Kaarii saw what was going on, put away her bow and arrow, and started to run away; some of the other citizens were running, too, because the fire was starting to become bigger and less isolated.

On a hill nearby, which was higher ground, Berserk and Josh were watching the scene.

"Our plan is in motion… GO!" Berserk commanded; on cue, Josh ran down the hill to play his role.

Back at the castle, Luke was pacing around, worried about Kaarii; Ken tried to reassure him, by saying, "Don't worry, Luke; she'll be fine! What could happen?"

However, Luke took notice of the fire out in the forest, and then with his eyes wide, he shouted, "No… No… KAARII!"

Seeing the fire, Ken also gasped, and started to head for the royal garage, as did Luke.

"Ken, drive ahead! Find her!" Luke shouted, as the guards heard the commotion and started to follow after their king.

As some of the other citizens that were in the forest were running from the fire, Kaarii was also trying to escape; however, she found herself surrounded by the flames and smoke.

Some flames approached her from behind, and finding an opening, Kaarii ran off in a different direction; however, the smoke smell and the gases were causing her to cough and struggle to breath.

However, as she looked around, Kaarii found higher ground that was mainly stone, and she made her way over there, dodging fire as she went. She found herself climbing the rock from the front, as she found it too chancy to go from behind, because fire was surrounding it.

She used all her upper body strength to try and climb the rock, but there were a couple of times where she slipped and lost her grip of one hand. She managed to climb the rock and got on top, but after breathing heavily, she passed out onto her stomach, both from exhaustion and lack of oxygen due to the smoke.

Coming out from the smoke came a figure, only whose eyes could be seen. Kaarii managed to open her eyes and look at the man towering over her; it turned out to be Josh, with a hostile look on his face, minus an open mouth. Kaarii closed her eyes and passed out again.

Josh went around to the side to get closer to Kaarii, and he put her head and neck in a safer position; he looked around, before picking her up bridal style. He ran off the rock, avoiding the flames, and he started running through the forest that was ravaged mostly by the fire, with some branches still on fire.

He kept his eyes on the prize and kept going for the exit, only for him to narrowly dodge a burnt tree that nearly fell on top of him. He ran in a different direction, only for him to fall off a cliff, dropping Kaarii, and then the two of them tumbled down into the water below.

Josh resurfaced, all wet, and he saw that Kaarii as sinking in into the water, still out cold; he dove back down under, and pulled Kaarii back up with one arm, and started to swim to the other side of the water.

Ken, in the car, driving on the path in the forest, saw Josh swimming with Kaarii in tow.

"I gotta tell Luke!" Ken shouted, before turning the wheel of the car to go back and get the king.

Josh soon climbed out of the water, with Kaarii still in one of his arms, and then he laid her down on the ground, in the Powerlands.

Kaarii most likely did not get any water swallowed, as she soon woke up without the need for CPR or first aid. She opened her eyes and then as she got on her knees and held her head, she asked aloud, "Where am I…?"

With a smirk on his face, Josh said, "You're safe, in the Powerlands."

"The Powerlands?" Kaarii asked, raising an eyebrow; she stood up, not caring she was all wet. "Why did you bring me back here?! Who the heck do you think you are?!"

Josh was shocked at this reaction; it was not what he was expecting. With a scoff, he said, "I think I'm the one who saved you!"

"Listen up; I had everything under control!" Kaarii said, clearly upset, and she got into Josh's face.

"That's not what I see where I'm standing." Josh said, with a raised eyebrow, his arms crossed, and a smirk on his face.

"Then move downwind." Kaarii said, as she turned around to go back.

Josh moved himself in front of Kaarii, with a smirk on his face; he did this again when Kaarii tried to get herself away from him. He was smirking again, with a chuckle. Kaarii glared at him before trying to get away from Josh again. She jumped out of his way, only for Josh to get at her again.

Kaarii got into a fighting stance, ready to slug Josh, when he rose his body up, and asked, "What are you doing?"

Recognizing those words, Kaarii's face softened and she lost the anger as she saw the confused look on Josh's face. Recognizing him, she smiled, and asked, "Josh? Is that you?"

Josh smiled with a raised eyebrow in response, confirming it was, in fact, the Punklander boy Kaarii met when she was six.

"Kaarii!" Luke shouted, as the car parked nearby, and he got out, running towards his daughter, and started to crack his knuckles, ready to fight; Josh got himself prepared for a brawl, too.

"Kaarii, you're okay!" Momoko said, as she came and hugged her daughter.

Kaarii, not seeking the comfort of her mother at the moment, asked her father, "Dad, how could you go back on your promise that way?"

"Good thing I did, too; I almost lost my only daughter," Luke said, before turning to Kaarii. "No more game hunts for you; _never!_"

"Hey, I was doing fine! Even before Josh…" Kaarii began, but...

"Josh?!" Luke demanded, as he turned back to the boy, and then the two men started to glare at each other with anger and hate in their faces.

Worried about possible aggression between the two males, Momoko said, "Luke…"

From behind them, Poochi shouted, talking to Josh, "Hey, you!"

The two men looked at the robotic dog, and Poochi shouted, "How _dare_ you _save_ the king's daughter!"

"You saved her?" Luke asked; he was not convinced this was without ulterior motives. "Why?"

Josh got his posture right, and then he said, "I humbly request to return to Powerland castle."

"NO!" Luke declared, getting into Josh's face. "You were exiled with the rest of the outsiders!"

"I've left the Punklanders. I'm afraid I'm a rogue. Please, judge me now, for who I am," Josh lied, his posture correct, and ready to talk to a royal when making a request. He took a breath, and he crossed his arms, before raising an eyebrow. "Or, am I to be accused falsely of something I am not guilty of?"

Luke started to pace; Josh was right. He was clearly angry about the situation; he did not want to be wrong, but he knew that Josh had saved Kaarii.

"Luke, you owe him our daughter's life." Momoko said, crossing her arms.

"Yes, sire," Ken said, as he came up to Luke. "It definitely seems we're in his debt; royal protocol demands all debts to be repaid, be it financial or otherwise. Albeit, I think it best for you to make an exception this time!"

Ken had his hands on his hips while looking at Josh, with an annoyed look on his face. Luke looked back to Josh, who kept his eyes close, and his posture correct, as he knew what was expected around royalty; it was part of his training for his role in his mother's plot.

"Sigh… My father's law will be in affect; for the time being, I'll reserve judgement," Luke said, as he made his way back to the car. "We'll see who you really are."

Josh smiled, before looking back at Kaarii, who looked back at him in delight, as she found her friend once again. Momoko also seemed to be pleased with this new turn of events.

"Riffraff." Ken spat, as he turned away and followed Luke.

Luke made his way back to the royal car, with Josh behind him; his head was lowered, but his face held an evil smile, as phase one of the plan was complete without a hitch.

Back at the palace, everyone was making their way inside the building to go to bed, as it had gotten late. Luke was still uncomfortable with the idea of a Punklander in the kingdom.

Josh was about to go inside the building; Luke saw this, and he ran in front of Josh, giving him a glare, before going inside and shutting the door.

Josh took this as a hint to stay out of the building, and he went into a vacant spot out in the servants' quarters; even the servants did not want to get close to him. He laid down on his back, and while it was uncomfortable, he could not complain; he had worse in the past.

Seeing this, Kaarii made her way over to Josh, and she said, "Hey… Um… Thank you for saving me today."

"What kind of a hunter are you anyway, _princess?"_ Josh asked, standing up. "You nearly died out there."

"Excuse me?" Kaarii asked, not expecting that sort of attitude from Josh.

"Heh. You wouldn't last three days on your own." Josh said, with a chuckle and a smirk.

"Oh, and I suppose _you_ could be the kind of person to give me pointers?" Kaarii asked.

"Yeah." Josh said, as he started to make his way back to his sleeping spot.

Kaarii was smirking at Josh, as she was a fast learner.

"Kaarii!" Luke called, from inside.

"I'm on my way!" Kaarii said. She ran around Josh and cut him off with a confident smile on her face, causing him to look at her in a strange way. "Okay then; show me and surprise me. We start at sunrise."

She started to walk away and back inside, with a sultry movement in her body. Josh smiled and he said, "Looking forward to it."

However, Berserk and Bosco were watching from a tree around a half mile away from the castle.

Bosco was disappointed, and he said, "Did you see that?! He let her go! If that were me in his position, I would…"

"Quiet!" Berserk said. "The fire rescue attempt was a success; Luke fell for it. Now, the closer Josh gets to the princess, the closer he gets to Luke."

Bosco started to follow this logic a little bit, and Berserk unsheathed her fingernails before saying, "And once Josh has Luke alone…"

Berserk slashed her hand at Bosco, who ducked, and this caused a branch to snap.

Later that night, Luke, in his bed, was breathing heavily and his face looked like he was having a really bad stomachache. He started to have a bad dream.

_~Nightmare~_

Luke was running along a large bridge, hearing his name being called, and he looked down to see the source of the voice.

_"Luke! Luke! Help me!" _King Bruce, Luke's father shouted; he was hanging from the main bridge of the kingdom, above rush-hour speed traffic, in which cars were going faster than the naked eye could see. Bruce was hanging on to the support beams to keep him from falling.

_"Father!"_ Luke shouted.

Maniacal laughing could be heard in the background, as Luke tried to reach for his father's hand, as Bruce started to climb and grab his son's hand.

Luke looked above to see his uncle Kare, cloaked in shadow, save for eyes and teeth, reaching down at him, with an evil smile on his face. He looked somewhat like Josh, with the same eyes, but his hair was around and inch longer and his face had a darker complexion.

_"Dad!"_ Luke said, as he and Bruce reached for each other. _"Just a little farther…"_

However, he heard Kare shouted, _"Gotcha!"_

Luke then felt pain in his arm as he then looked up to see Kare grabbing him by the arm, and he said, _"Trust me…"_

Luke looked back down and saw his father slipping and losing his grip while saying, _"Luke…"_

_"NO!"_ Luke shouted, as he saw his father fall to his death.

Luke then turned angry and looked back to his maniacally-laughing uncle, and said, _"Kare…"_

However, Kare's face soon turned into that of Josh, with the scar on Kare's face present in the same spot on Josh's face, only it was slightly smaller. Luke's eyes widened as he saw this.

_"Josh?"_ Luke asked, and he soon found himself being thrown off the bridge in the exact manner his father was before he had died.

_"NO!" _Luke shouted, as he was falling to his death.

_~End of Nightmare~_

Luke then woke up form his sleep, startled; he was breathing heavily, and he looked around at his surroundings to see that they were normal. Next to him, his sweet queen was sleeping soundly, and noticing that nothing was amiss, Luke went back to sleep, this time, uninterrupted.

At dawn, Luke woke up from bed, and went into the courtyard. He stretched his body a little bit before going out to another part of the castle grounds where there was a large fountain and taking a plastic cup, he filled it with the water; apparently, the castle made sure that the water was purified from all directions to avoid any possible pathogens that would cause infection or stomach bugs. Royalty getting sick in any way was taken as seriously as a heart attack or a stroke.

However, behind a statue nearby, Josh was hiding there. He was getting a poisoned arrow out from his quiver and was about to nock his arrow in to shoot. One of the most common types of toxins occurring in the plant world was, shockingly, apple seeds. According to the toxicity books in the palace, apple seeds, as well as hydrangea flowers, contained cyanide in them. So, by crushing the hydrangea petals and stems along with apple seeds, the arrows were essentially laced with cyanide.

Josh was about to nock his arrow in, when Kaarii appeared in front of him out of nowhere. Josh jumped back in surprise as he saw her come at him.

"Morning!" Kaarii said, cheerfully. "I'm ready for my first session!"

Kaarii walked around Josh with a giggle, and she noticed his body language, before asking, "I certainly got you, didn't I?"

Josh turned back to the fountain, only to see that Luke was gone.

"Hey, what's causing you to space out? Come on!" Kaarii started, as she made her way to the forest within the Powerlands.

_'Damn! Missed my chance…'_ Josh thought, as he snapped his fingers in frustration and started to sulk after Kaarii.

In a nearby clearing, Josh was waiting around for Kaarii; the latter was in the taller grass, practicing her sneaking around and skulking to shoot game. They decided that her shooting was fine, but even though she had yet to actually shoot any game, they decided to practice that, too. They decided to use fake arrows to avoid injury.

"Ow… Ow…" Kaarii muttered, making noise, as she was sneaking up on Josh.

Josh sighed, in annoyance, as he was hearing Kaarii, and counting down on his fingers, he said, "Three, two, one…"

An arrow flew right past him, but he dodged nimbly and caught it one hand. Kaarii came out of the bushes with a sheepish smile on her face, and she meekly said, "You could hear me, couldn't you?"

"Quite a lot," Josh said, bluntly; Kaarii came up next to him for pointers. "You're still breathing too hard and too loudly. First off, relax; take a deep breath before approaching the game…"

Josh took out his bow and fake arrows and nocked it in before taking a deep breath and holding it before telling Kaarii, "Then hold your breath, keep your heart rate down…"

Kaarii did as instructed and followed Josh's movements before making sure she kept her breathing to a minimum. However, Josh heard birds flying and soon saw them flying over the hill.

"Perfect!" Josh said, quietly. "Watch the master."

He loosed his arrow and it flew over the hill. However, Josh and Kaarii heard a pair of screams from the place where the arrow landed out of sight.

"What was that?!" Kaarii said, as she ran ahead; Josh followed after her, worried that he might have hurt someone he did not intend on.

The pair ran over the hill only to see Rikiya and Takaaki making distance from where the fake arrow landed.

"K-K-Kare! Geh, I mean, Josh! Please, don't hurt us! We hardly got to know you!" Rikiya shouted, as he saw Josh coming and started to freak out.

"Kare, heck of a guy! Moody, but…" Takaaki said, also freaking out.

"Takaaki? Rikiya?" Kaarii said, as she approached and crossed her arms. "What are you _doing_ here?!"

"Kaarii! What a relief! Whew..." Rikiya siad, sighing in relief at seeing the princess. "Calm down; we're not following you this time. This just happens to be the best smorgasbord in the Powerlands."

"Yeah, check it out! There's fruit as far as the eye can see!" Takaaki said, pointing to all the apple trees, berry bushes, and everything in between; there were animals of all kinds eating the fruits, almost leaving none for Takaaki and Rikiya.

"Problem is, its always packed because there's not a restaurant, so we obviously can't call for reservations so we can get some of those juicy jewels," Rikiya said, before scoffing. "Get out of here you scavengers! Go on! Git!"

However, Rikiya was pecked on the head by one of the birds, and he rubbed his head in pain.

Takaaki was running around, trying to scare off the birds, but no matter what he tried, it did not seem to work. He tried shouting and running around, but he got nothing.

Kaarii and Josh were watching, not sure what to make of the scene they were seeing. Kaarii giggled, but Josh was raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, man, Rikiya… I'm tired out…" Takaaki said, as he sat down on his rear end, with birds on top of his head and all over his body. "I gotta lose some weight."

"No you don't," Rikiya said, as he was scaring off the birds that had perched onto Takaaki. "Shoo! Get going! Go away!"

Kaarii giggled again as she and Josh came closer.

"Maybe Josh could help?" Takaaki suggested.

"Hey, that might not be a bad idea at all," Rikiya said. "Good thinking."

Rikiya then approached Josh and said, "Care to lend an arrow?"

Josh was merely looking at Rikiya in confusion.

"Come on," Rikiya said, getting into an archery stance; he was an accomplished archer himself, so he was often the tutor for Kaarii. "You know, shoot an arrow! Work with me!"

Josh looked at Kaarii in confusion, asking, "What is he talking about?"

"Good thing I brought some real arrows," Kaarii said, as she took a real arrow out of her quiver, nocked it in, and got ready to shoot. "Boys, move it!"

Rikiya and Takaaki then ran out of the way to make room for Kaarii's arrow. She loosed the arrow, and it flew through the flock of birds, causing the birds to scatter in fear of getting shot.

"Awesome! Do it again!" Rikiya said, as he and Takaaki started to run through the crowd again.

Josh merely took an arrow that Kaarii handed him; he took out his bow and shot the arrow again, causing more birds to scatter in fright.

"Nice! Whoo-hoo!" Takaaki shouted, as he and Rikiya were running around, and gathering fruit.

Kaarii and Josh started running and shooting arrows at the birds; Josh was confused, while Kaarii was laughing her head off.

"What's this for? Is there a point to this training other than running around?!" Josh asked, as he was running and shooting arrows.

"What training?" Kaarii said. "This is for fun! The heck of it!"

"Fun?" Josh asked. "The heck of it?"

He saw Kaarii was still laughing; they had soon abandoned their arrows and bows and started just chasing the birds for the heck of it.

"Geez, you need to get out more often!" Rikiya said, as he ran ahead with Takaaki at his side. "Yeehaw!"

Josh soon began to understand and started to cheer himself, only for his smile to grow widely as he started to have a good time. Kaarii was laughing as she managed to get ahead of him, but they kept scaring birds off and running.

"Whoo-hoo!" Josh shouted, as he and the others ran through another path in the woods, having a good time.

As they got closer to a clearing, Josh was really getting into the game, and he soon shouted in joy once again. However, the gang stopped in their tracks as they ended up running into some cougars; a few of the birds the gang was chasing had perched themselves on top.

"Oh, no… I forgot this was _cougar_ territory!" Kaarii shouted.

The four of them screamed in fright as they turned tail and ran off, with the cougars chasing after them; it was essentially a cougar stampede.

"Ah!" Kaarii said; she turned a rounded corner. "This way!"

Josh skid to a halt before following Kaarii, and soon, Rikiya and Josh did the same; the cougars ran in the exact same path, but Kaarii and the others had taken shelter in a small alcove off the path. They were hidden away from the cougars' path.

Once the cougars had passed, the entire group started to laugh their heads off; despite the chase, they had a great time.

"Hahahahaha! What a blast that was!" Josh said, having enjoyed himself for the first time in the eighteen years of his life.

Rikiya gave Josh a noogie and said, "You're alright, kid!"

"Hey…" Josh said.

"You're alright." Rikiya said, smiling at Josh.

Rikiya and Takaaki were trying to squeeze out of the small space.

"Excuse me, pardon me, okay, that's it, that's it…" Rikiya said.

However, as Takaaki and Rikiya were shoving and trying to get out of the small space, they were unintentionally shuffling Kaarii and Josh around.

Because of the bumping around, Kaarii and Josh's lips brushed up against each others'; they blushed in response to this. Backing their faces away from each other, Kaarii and Josh started giggling and chuckling nervously; they were not exactly expecting that to happen.

They got out of their hiding spot and started to look at each other awkwardly; they blushed a bit and started to act shy.

"Hey! Are the two of you coming or what?" Rikiya asked.

Rikiya and Takaaki walked off; Kaarii and Josh followed them, while walking alongside each other. They each looked at each other before continuing to follow after Rikiya and Takaaki.

* * *

That evening, the pair was lying on their backs in the grass near some trees, in a clearing that was near the castle. They were pointing to star constellations and talking to each other, pointing out shapes and images that they could see in the sky.

"Wow, check it out! Doesn't that one look like a strawberry?" Kaarii asked, as she looked up to a cluster of stars with a cloud within it that was in the shape of a strawberry. "See the cute stem?"

"Yeah, I do," Josh said, but then pointed out another one. "Hey, check it out! That one looks like a pair of men about to shoot each other in the hearts over some game!"

The cloud and constellation that Josh pointed out did look like two men that had their arrows ready to shoot each other, standing over a dead bird or something.

Kaarii merely looked at Josh uncomfortably, while he was laughing, and Josh admitted, "This is the first time I've done this!"

"Are you serious?" Kaarii asked. "My dad and I used to do this all the time when I was little; he always told me that all the great kings and queens of the past are what the stars are in reality. Albeit I never believed him."

"Do you think… That Kare is up there?" Josh said, his face becoming negative.

Kaarii looked at him, and he looked back at her when Josh made this comment. He stood up and walked a few feet away from Kaarii. Kaarii herself sat up and saw that Josh had sat down a few feet away from her, with his back to Kaarii.

"Kare was not my biological father, but… He was still part of me…" Josh sadly said.

Kaarii stood up and walked over to Josh; she understood what he was saying, and sadly looked at him.

"My father told me that Kare had a darkness within himself that he could not escape from." Kaarii said.

"Maybe… Maybe there's a darkness within me, too…" Josh said, sadly.

Kaarii put her hands to Josh's chest and leaned in to him; Josh understood this and hugged Kaarii back. They both had sad looks on their faces as they were thinking over their conversation with each other.

At that exact moment, on a hill around ten meters away from the pair, Luke was sitting on the bench on the hill, and he was also looking up into the sky, almost as if searching for advice from the stars.

"Dad… Please, guide me. I'm afraid I'm lost. Josh is Kare's successor; one of _them_," Luke said, talking about Josh being a Punklander. "How am I going to accept him?"

"Luke?" Momoko said, as she came up next to her husband.

"Oh, my queen," Luke said, as he let Momoko sit next to him. "I was just seeking some guidance from my father and the other great kings and queens."

"Were they any help?" Momoko asked.

"Like leeches on a dead person…" Luke said. "Father would never…"

"Oh, my Luke," Momoko said, as she put a hand on one of his shoulders. "You really want to do what is expected of you; walk the path people want you to. Its possible that Josh _does not_."

"What? How do you know?" Luke asked, turning to his queen.

"You and I can _both_ see them down there quite clearly," Momoko said, with a smile. "Just get to know the _real_ him and see for yourself."

Momoko turned back and went back inside the castle; Luke looked back to his daughter before following his queen back inside the palace.

Kaarii was smiling while in Josh's arms, but he sadly pulled his arms away from Kaarii.

"What's the problem?" Kaarii asked.

"It's nothing…" Josh said, as he took a few steps away from Kaarii.

"Josh…" Kaarii said, approaching him from behind.

"It's just that…" Josh said, turning back to Kaarii. "My whole life, I've been trained to… Oh, forget it… I gotta go…"

"Josh, wait…" Kaarii said, causing Josh to stop walking and turn his face back to her.

Kaarii herself had no idea what to tell Josh; seeing this, Josh turned back to walk away, when...

"And where do you think you're doing?" Poochi said, from beneath the grass, as he put his paw up, stopping Josh.

"Um… Back to the castle." Josh said.

"That's what you think!" Poochi said, as he stood up and revealed himself with a laugh before ducking back into the grass.

Josh looked into the grass, and looked to see the blades that were moving around in a line, before asking aloud, "Who the heck is that?"

Kaarii ran up next to Josh, and she said, "Um, that's Poochi; a friend of the family."

Poochi was on top of Josh's head, wagging his metallic tail, and he said, "Come on! Follow me! I know the way!"

Poochi leaped off of Josh's head and started to run off.

"Way to where?" Josh asked; Kaarii shrugged.

On top of a path on higher ground, Poochi shouted, "Follow me! You'll find out!"

Kaarii and Josh looked at each other in surprise.

"Come on, hurry!" Poochi shouted.

Poochi started to run down the path; Kaarii ran after Poochi, but she stopped and told Josh, "Hey, Josh, come on!"

Josh and Kaarii, running side by side, were following Poochi. Rounding a corner, Poochi was soon out of sight; Kaarii and Josh soon stopped in their tracks when they saw where Poochi was leading them.

"Where is he taking us?" Josh asked.

It was a beautiful, lush, jungle-like place where there was a large river, waterfall, and a lot of plants there. There was also a large boat there, and quite a few exotic animals.

The environment where the Powerlands was in was a combination of Savanna, Rainforest, and 21st century city life. It was all equally balanced, so while there was the usual concerns that the city caused with its activity, it was in check enough to keep the rest of the environment in balance. Thus, it was not unusual for plants and animals that would normally be seen in Africa to be in the area.

"Oh, to a special place in your heart, called…" Poochi's voice said, from out of nowhere.

Josh and Kaarii were looking around to find Poochi, only for him to come out from below, and used his flat paws to pull Kaarii and Josh closer to each other and forced them to may eye contact with each other, and the little, robotic pup said, "…Upendi!"

Kaarii and Josh looked into each other's eyes with a shine in them; Poochi pushed them closer together, and thanks to that, the pair kissed, before sharing a smile with each other.

Through what appeared to be a curtain of water, a large heart soon came up into the black screen, and a splash was heard. The screen changed into that of Kaarii and Josh sitting together in a heart-shaped boat with Poochi on top of it, and the boat itself was spinning around.

_"There's a place where the crazy moon makes the monkeys sing and the baboons swoon."_

They came to the edge of the waterfall; Poochi pointed to the sky, where a crescent moon appeared out of nowhere. Six monkeys surrounded it while singing high notes, and a pair of baboons sitting on a branch below shared a kiss before swinging down on their tails.

_"And the sultry scent of the lotus bloom will carry you away."_

One baboon picked a lotus flower and gave it to Poochi, who gave it to Kaarii. Kaarii showed the flower to Josh, who smelled the flowers, only for him to sneeze, causing the petals to scatter everywhere.

_"Where the hippos swing from the jungle vines and the rhino rhumba in a conga line, and the pink flamingos are intertwined as the stars come out to play!"_

Poochi stood up and behind him were a few hippos, swinging on vines, going back and forth like a pendulum or something like that. Poochi then pointed to his right to see a few rhinoceroses dancing in a conga line, and a few pairs of pink flamingos were standing next to them, all making hearts with their necks by standing beak-to-beak with each other. The rhinos bumped into the flamingos, causing all of them to fall into a pile, releasing yellow stars. Poochi took the stars and threw them up into the sky.

_"In Upendi… Where the love apples grow sweet!"_

The sky soon brightened up to show people in pairs, including the conga-line rhinos all singing and dancing in tune to the music. Poochi was in front of everyone, and out of nowhere, heart-shaped, red apples fell out of the sky and into Poochi's "paws", before jumping somewhere.

_"And its so divine that you lose your mind as it sweeps you off your feet. In Upendi…"_

Poochi gave Kaarii a love apple and she took a bite; Poochi handed one to Josh, but he merely put up his hand as a way to tell the robotic pup he was not interested in having an apple. Kaarii swallowed her bite and she blushed with a large smile, as she loved the sweet taste of the apple. Poochi saw that there was a bush with pink leaves.

_"Without a worry or a care, it just takes two to make it true. Your heart will lead you there."_

He redirected the boat to the bush, and after the boat fell off the small ledge, with Kaarii and Josh still safely inside the boat, he took a heart-shaped leaf with a heart-shaped hole in it and stuck it onto Josh. Josh took the leaf off as Kaarii was laughing at this sight.

_"Where is it?"_ Kaarii asked.

_"No place you don't take with you."_ Poochi replied, as he landed on her head and covered her eyes; Kaarii laughed again in response.

_"You'd better watch your step, 'cause the path is steep. Better hold your breath, cause the water's deep. It's a long way down over Lovers' leap! But falling's half the fun!"_

Poochi brought the pair onto the shore, but he soon pushed them down a steep path, while holding hands. They fell into a lake nearby and they were seen swimming, their breath being held, but they were soon falling out of the ground underneath while Poochi had pulled a rope, as if that were the flush button. Poochi was then falling down with them while in a heart-shaped parachute that he had pulled from out of nowhere, before landing in a tree.

_"In Upendi… Where the love apples grow sweet! And its so divine that you loose your mind as it sweeps you off your feet."_

Kaarii and Josh fell back into the boat, as it had appeared back in the lake out of nowhere once again; both of them were laughing. Poochi was on top of the boat again, and love apples were once again falling out of nowhere. Josh had a whole one stuck in his mouth, and the heart itself was outside of his mouth while he had a large bite being taken out of it; he was still managing to taste and chew it. Kaarii had a few in her hands, but as soon as she saw Josh with the apple in his mouth, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. This caused him to bite into the apple, and the part he did not bite fell out of his mouth. After swallowing it, he grew a lovesick smile as he adored the flavor of the fruit.

_"In Upendi… Without a worry or a care."_

Poochi, on top of the boat, had fruits being juggled in his paws and balanced on his head. He kicked one and it landed on a hill filled with what appeared to be flowers. It turned out to be a bunch of red butterflies with heart-shaped wings that soon started to fly away. Behind them people were doing tangos and other romantic dances with each other, along with a few of the animal pairs that had been seen.

_"It just takes two to make it true. Your heart will take you there."_

Poochi pushed Kaarii and Josh together, causing them to kiss once again and soon, the heart that was generated panned out to see Poochi falling on a parachute once again.

_"You can beat the bush like there's no tomorrow, from Tanganyika to Kilimanjaro! But you'll find Upendi wherever you are! Oh, underneath the sun!"_

Poochi was leading some of the people and animals and had bush branches in their hands. They put the bushes down and they stood a lookout pose with their hand above their eyes to sharpen their vision. There was a long, winding line from one place to a large mountain. The mountain appeared underneath Poochi, who appeared at the back of the line, and he opened up the top of the mountain, releasing the red butterflies, and then he jumped down, pulling a orange curtain down with him.

Kaarii was sitting in the boat with Josh, talking with him; she had snapped her fingers in realization as she sang, _"Upendi - it means love, doesn't it?"_

Poochi appeared in front of the scene, which had hearts fluttering around the sun, and Poochi sang, _"Welcome to Upendi!"_

The animals and pairs were dancing with each other to the beat of the music which included underarm turns; there was a water spout that propelled Kaarii and Josh's boat high up to see everything that was happening below. Poochi threw love apples to every pair that came by the tree, before they ate them and started to dance again.

_"In Upendi where the love apples grow sweet! And its so divine that you lose your mind as it sweeps you off your feet!"_

Josh and Kaarii jumped into the water before going onto the shore and dancing with the rest of the group, before each eating a love apple and soon falling into the river together.

_"In Upendi! Without a worry or a care, it just takes two to make it true."_

The water brought them to the edge of a cliff, and shot the pair into the sky, and they shared a heart-shaped parachute and started gliding through the air as they descended. Everyone else was doing the same thing, and Poochi even had one, albeit he was also lying on a cloud as it was floating down.

_"You heart will take you there!"_

Kaarii sang, _"Upendi!"_

_"Down in Upendi, way down, in Upendi! __Down in Upendi, way down, in Upendi! __Down in Upendi, way down, in Upendi!_"

Once all was said and done, Kaarii and Josh were making their way back to the castle, while still singing along and laughing with each other; they were quite happy and they had a great time with each other.

In the courtyard, Kaarii and Josh stood outside the door inside the castle and were holding hands with each other. They shared a hug.

"Good night." Josh said, with a smile on his face.

Kaarii looked at Josh and said, "Night."

Kaarii looked at the door to the palace, while Josh looked at his usual sleeping spot. They parted ways for the time being, with Kaarii heading inside while Josh headed to his spot. Kaarii looked back at Josh, while in the threshold of the door, and sighed romantically before going inside.

On cue, Luke came out of the door, and saw that Josh was about to go to sleep in his place. Luke looked at Josh, before looking back inside the castle, before smiling a little bit.

Luke came a little closer to Josh; seeing his shadow cast over him, Josh looked up to see Luke.

"It's a bit cold tonight," Luke said, before turning around. "Come on inside."

Josh smiled and started to follow Luke inside; he had forgotten his purpose for being there to begin with.

Outside the palace, nearby, Bellicose was watching; seeing that Luke and Josh were alone, Bellicose was eager and she said, "Get him… Get him!"

However, she saw Josh made no movement to kill Luke. Her face fell and she grew nervous as she then said, "What are you waiting for?! Josh, get him!"

Seeing that Josh did not kill Luke, she hung her head before turning and running to go and report back to Berserk.

_**"WHAT?!"**_ Berserk hollered, hearing Bellicose's report. "Are you sure?"

"Dead positive, mother," Bellicose said. "I saw it with my own eyes… What are the chances Josh might have fallen in love with Kaarii?"

Ignoring the comment about falling in love, Berserk growled and said, "Josh _cannot_ turn on us!"

* * *

Josh, sleeping in the bed in the servants quarters inside the castle, was having a really hard time sleeping. For some reason, he could not get to sleep, and he was having a bad dream about achieving his mission's goal.

_~Nightmare~_

The background was red with white and black spaces for shadows and light. on the floor, it was light, and all of surrounding area was shadow one way or another. On the floor, Luke was lying dead. There was an arrow laced with cyanide from crushed apple seeds that was in his bicep.

Josh was standing above him, with an evil smirk on his face, and laughing evilly from his success at killing Luke, as was his goal from the start. Josh took the toxic arrow out from Luke's muscle and walked to the edge of the balcony. He raised the arrow up to the air to allow everyone to see it.

There was cheering from down below; everyone was a Punklander. This included Bosco, Bellicose, and even his mother Berserk. Everyone was cheering and chanting his name, and they were all so proud of Josh for his achievement.

_"Hahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHA!"_ Josh laughed, maniacally, raising his head up.

However, the scene turned blue, and the cheers stopped, only to be replaced with a single voice, sobbing and crying from grief. Josh lowered the arrow, as he recognized the voice that was crying. His face became surprised and worried. He turned around and saw Kaarii, on her knees, and sobbing, over Luke's body.

_"Kaarii…?"_ Josh asked, as he took a step towards the girl he loved.

_"Stay back,_ _traitor!"_ Kaarii shouted, as she lifted her face up to stare Josh in the face. Her face was filled with anger, and tears were staining her cheeks heavily, her eyes were also red, and she was breathing and trying to hold back tears. She stood up and stared at Josh angrily, as tears were flowing.

_"You lied to me!" _Kaarii shouted. _"You said that you loved me, but you were lying about EVERYTHING! You never loved me, did you?!" _

_"Kaarii, no, I do love_ _you!" _Josh said, as he ran towards Kaarii, in an attempt to placate her.

Kaarii raised her hand up and slapped Josh hard on the cheek, causing him to stagger back; he held onto the hurt cheek, and looked at Kaarii in shock, his eyes wavering.

_"You two-faced, hateful liar! I trusted you! I fell for you! And all you wanted was to kill my father! I hate you!"_ Kaarii shouted.

Sounds of shattering glass were being heard, and from all four walls, the were fractures in them that looked like shattered glass.

_"Kaarii, no, I…" _Josh began to protest, but Kaarii turned her back and ran away.

_"Stay away from me, you dishonest murderer! I'll NEVER fall in love again!"_ Kaarii hollered, as she left Josh behind.

Josh fell to his knees, and glass was shattering everywhere, and the noise was causing Josh to start crying. The floor disappeared and he fell through, shouting, _"NO!"_

_~End of Nightmare~_

Josh woke up with a start, and he looked around to see what happened, only to see that everything was normal. He decided that he could not lie to Kaarii anymore or go through with his mother's plan at that point.

The next morning, he went into the courtyard, but looked back at the castle at least once. Josh took a deep breath, and decided to tell Kaarii everything.

"Okay… I _need_ to tell her today… But where do I start?" Josh said, as he tried to figure out how to word everything without making it seem like he was the bad guy. "Kaarii, Berserk had a plot; one that I was part of. However, I don't want to be part of it… because… Because I love you."

After hearing it out of his own mouth, Josh sighed in defeat before saying out loud, "Who am I kidding? She's not going to believe me… but I need to try!"

He turned back to the castle, and went inside. Kaarii saw Josh, and she walked over to him, and said, "Good morning!"

"Kaarii, I have to talk to you; its important…" Josh began, but...

"Kaarii, I don't want you talking with him," Luke said, as he approached. "_I_ want to talk with him."

Hearing this, Kaarii smiled widely, and she felt really happy; she thought her father was finally coming around.

Luke winked, and he left the building, with Josh following him; Josh himself was nervous, and he was worried about what Luke had to say. Kaarii was watching them leave from the building, with a big smile on her face.

Luke was showing Josh a fire-ravaged part of the kingdom while telling Josh the story of Kare from _Luke's_ side; the side of the story that was the reality of Kare's reign as the tyrannical king he was.

"Kare was incapable of escaping or letting go of his hate. In the end, that was essentially what destroyed him; his own shadow demons turned on him, too." Luke said.

"I never heard Kare's story in another's position…" Josh admitted; the version he was told was the version he thought was the right one up until then. "So… He really _was_ a killer."

Luke looked at Josh sadly; the young, yellow-eyed boy had it right, but considering he was born and raised with Kare being put in a positive light, this was more or less justified.

Luke showed the young boy the ravaged part of the forest they were in, and he said, "Fire is a killer, too. But sometimes, what's leftover can grow stronger and better than what was there before."

Luke bent down and brushed some ash away to reveal a flower bud that had yet to bloom.

"If given the chance, it can." Luke said.

However, through proprioception and his hearing, Luke sensed something off; there was evil laughter, in a very low and light amount, and hearing it, Luke and Josh looked up.

Josh recognized the voice, and he looked around in fear; around the dusty shadows and clouds, out came some of the Punklanders.

Josh realized what was happening: an ambush.

"No… Oh, no… No, no, no…" Josh said, and soon, Luke and Josh turned around to see Berserk, Bellicose, and Bosco come out of the dusty shadows.

"Why, Luke…" Berserk said, pleased.

"Berserk…" Luke said, getting ready to fight; Josh was merely looking at the scene in shock.

"What are you doing here, and all… _Alone?_" Berserk asked, smiling; she knew it was her chance to kill Luke.

Everyone in the Punklander group was approaching Luke and Josh; Luke was angry and poised to fight while Josh was looking around in fear. He had no knowledge of an ambush as part of the plan.

"Well done, Josh. _Just_ like we've always planned." Berserk said, lying.

Hearing this lie, Luke angrily turned to Josh and shouted, "You…!"

"No!" Josh said, shocked, scared, and about to defend himself. "I had nothing to do with this! I swear!"

_"ATTACK!"_ Berserk shouted.

Many of the Punklanders started to punch and kick at Luke, who either ducked or dodged while sustaining a few hits himself. He knocked a few of his attackers off, which included Bosco.

**_"NO!"_** Josh shouted; he did _not_ expect this to happen, nor did he want it to happen, either.

He watched as Luke kept getting hurt in places where his attackers were punching and kicking him. He managed to throw them off, but every time he did, another one came on him.

Josh decided to take action and flipped the script he was raised with: he ran in to fight, but rather than fight Luke, he attacked some of the Punklanders. However, his sister, Bellicose kicked Josh and he was pushed into a cliffside, causing him to bump his head and he was out cold.

More of the Punklanders were on Luke, and Bosco tackled them from behind, causing the group to fall off the side of another cliff, and they tumbled down. Luke managed to get up, but he had sustained a few wounds.

"Yes… We've got him now!" Berserk said, as she was laughing evilly, as some of the her followers were running down the cliff to get Luke.

Bellicose, flanked by Bosco, lunged at Luke, but Luke made a run for it.

"Remember: attack as if you were one person!" Berserk reminded her group, as Luke was chased down the riverside.

However, Luke stopped in his tracks as he had found himself standing in front of a wall made completely of boulders in all sizes with some surrounding cliffs that had grass on top. Luke looked behind him and saw the Punklanders, with Berserk, Bellicose, and Bosco in the lead, running at him, ready to attack and kill him.

Luke saw no other option: he started to climb the boulders; he unintentionally caused one to get loose and it fell down in front of the group of attackers. The group got back and dodged the boulders; Berserk and Bellicose looked up at Luke.

Luke looked down, breathing heavily, and then he looked back up to the area above him. On top of the cliff nearby, Josh had woken up and he was on the edge of the cliff, ready to help save Luke.

"Luke!" Josh shouted.

"Get him, Josh! Do it! Now!" Berserk said, encouraging her son to do something he had no intention of.

Josh ignored his mother and ran down the cliff the long way.

Seeing this as his chance at glory, Bosco started to recklessly run up the boulders, telling Berserk, "I'll do it, for YOU, mother!"

The others were watching in surprise.

Luke kept trying to climb while Bosco was running behind; he called back down to Berserk, "Mother, you watching?"

He kept climbing, slower this time, and he said, "I'm doing it for you, and I'm doing it for me!"

Bosco managed to grab Luke's ankle, and he grabbed it really hard, causing Luke to wince in pain.

"This is my chance! My chance at stardom!" Bosco said.

However, he lost his footing on one of the boulders, and started to fall.

With a look of shock on her face, Berserk shouted, "NO!"

Bosco then fell down on more of the boulders, with one of them on top of him, just on his abdomen. He was breathing, and was still okay, albeit he was injured.

Luke managed to get to the edge of the cliff as a very large boulder started to fall down. Seeing this, Bosco's eyes went wide. The boulder hit him, and as dust scattered, Luke managed to escape and he climbed the cliff.

Once the dust cleared, Bosco was nowhere to be seen underneath the boulders. Josh ran down the side of the grassier part of the cliff. Apparently, he had seen the whole thing.

He started pushing boulders aside, looking for his brother; Berserk shoved Josh aside, and she started to frantically search for her eldest. After shoving a few more rocks aside, she saw Bosco, buried in rocks, save for his head and shoulders, coughing heavily, as his organs seemed to be crushed, and his face was pale.

"Bosco…" Berserk said, with a look of sadness on her face.

"I'm sorry mother… I tried…" Bosco said, as his breathing was very shallow.

"Sh…" Berserk said, as she gently stroked Bosco's cheek; his eyes immediately closed and his mouth went from a smile to a relaxed frown.

Berserk took her hand away, and was looking at Bosco's body in sadness; Bellicose soon saw what happened, and then she said, "Bosco…"

Bellicose hung her head in grief; almost everyone did, Josh included.

Meanwhile, Luke was limping back to the castle; nearby, Kaarii, Rikiya, Takaaki, and Ken were watching, as they had found Luke.

"Dad… Dad! Ken, get help!" Kaarii said.

"Oh, yes! At once!" Ken shouted, as he ran back to the castle.

Luke was still limping; Kaarii and the others ran to Luke's side to help him and see what happened to their king.

Kaarii hugged her father gently; Rikiya asked, "Luke! Say something! What the heck happened out there?"

"Josh… Ambush…" Was all Luke managed to say before he collapsed on the ground.

"No…" Kaarii said, her eyes tearing up; she was in disbelief that Josh betrayed her family's trust that way.

"Don't worry, pal," Takaaki said, as he and Rikiya helped Luke get up and walk. "We're here for you."

Back with the Punklanders, they were in mounting over Bosco.

"Kare… Please, watch over Bosco…" Berserk said, grieving.

Josh was looking sad, as well; however, Berserk angrily turned on him, and ran at Josh, shouting, _"YOU…!"_

Josh turned to his mother, his eye went wide, and using her long fingernails, Berserk slashed Josh's face, causing him to scream in pain and turn around. He was breathing heavily, and when he turned back, he had a scar on his face that looked _exactly_ like Kare's.

Berserk was in shock as she saw this, but her face of rage was still present.

"What have you… _done?!_" Berserk demanded of Josh; she was blaming Josh for Bosco's death.

"I didn't… I-I didn't mean to, it wasn't my fault… I…" Josh began, but he soon took a deep breath and his skin became thicker. "I did _nothing!"_

_"PRECISELY!"_ Berserk declared, as she was really angry. "In doing so, you've betrayed your family and all of the Punklanders… Betrayed _KARE!_"

_"I want nothing more to do with him!"_ Josh declared, standing up to Berserk.

"You're unable to escape it!" Berserk shouted, as she kept approaching Josh, causing him to back up; he fell on his rear end. "Bosco is _dead_ because of you!"

"No…" Josh said, as he shook his head, his scar ever present.

"You killed your own kin!" Berserk declared.

_"NO!"_ Josh shouted, as he ran off, tears spilling from his eyes.

Bellicose was looking at Josh, but Berserk said, "Let him go!"

Berserk then stood up on a flatter rock, before saying, "Luke has hurt me for the last time! He's also corrupted Josh!"

Everyone gathered around Berserk, and she said, "Listen! Luke is weak and wounded. Now is the time to take his kingdom… _By force!"_

Everyone started cheering, while Berserk raised her head and started to maniacally laugh.

* * *

Back at the castle, Luke had explained everything to his family.

"Dad, it can't be true…" Kaarii said; she refused to believe Josh was part of the ambush.

The citizens, outside the palace, all turned their heads when someone said, "It's Josh."

One woman bitterly said, "It's Josh."

Whispers and gossip were coming around as people bitterly made way for Josh as he approached the castle from the courtyard outside.

"Josh!" Kaarii said, as she made her way to go and see him, but her father put his arm in front of her and took a few steps forward, on the balcony.

Josh was looking around at everyone, and saw that they were all talking bout him negatively, and he knew what was ahead.

"The nerve! Let me at him!" Rikiya began, but Takaaki held him back.

Josh kept hearing the gossip, which included "What is he doing here?" or "Look at the scar on his face".

Josh sadly looked up to see Luke, a look of anger and rage in his face. Luke demanded, "_Why_ have you come back?!"

"Luke, my liege…" Josh said, trying to be as sincere as possible. "I had _nothing_ to do with…"

"You have _NO PLACE_ here!" Luke declared; he was livid.

"Please… I ask for forgiveness!" Josh said, desperation in his voice.

"Father, please! Just hear him out!" Kaarii asked, desperate.

**"QUIET!"** Luke shouted at Kaarii, before turning back to Josh. "You asked for judgement when you first arrived here. Now I'm going to pass it."

Everyone started to cheer and demand for Luke to pass his verdict, while Momoko and Kaarii were watching in horror; Kaarii more so.

"Yeah, judgement!" "Pass it!" "Give him the verdict!"

Josh was looking around in horror as he was afraid to hear what Luke said to pass.

_"EXILE!"_ Luke shouted.

_**"NO!"**_ Kaarii shouted, horrified at the statement.

Josh was looking around at everyone; they were all glaring at him, stamping their feet, almost as if pounding drums. Music was beginning to start, but it was not the good kind. Josh was afraid of what was about to happen.

"No!" Kaarii shouted, about to run forward, but some of the guards, Miyako and Kaoru specifically, jumped in front of her, blocking her path. "Josh!"

Luke was glaring at Josh, with rage in his eyes.

_"Deception… Disgrace… Evil as plain as the scar on his face."_

Josh was looking around at everyone, and they were all glaring at him, angry. A pair of older guards were approaching Josh, with a few harpoons or something. Josh was backed into a wall nearby; seeing no other option, he ran to the side, in fright, as he knew he had to get out of there.

_"Deception. An outrage!"_ A group of nurses shouted.

_"Disgrace! For shame!"_ Some firefighters sang, lifting their heads up, turning up their noses in anger.

Josh found himself in the middle of some of the other people, and a large, bulky man, who seemed to be a scientist, sang, _"He asked for trouble the moment he came."_

Josh ran to his right, only to be blocked by some angry nurses, who were all making hand movements to tell Josh to leave. The nurses sang, _"__(He can't change his stripes!) _Deception! An outrage!"

Josh ran throughout he crowd, narrowly avoiding punches from the spectators of the kingdom.

_"(You know these outsider types!) Disgrace! For shame! Evil as plain as the scar on his face!"_

Josh got hit on the head by a few of the other spectators, most of whom were politicians or otherwise in the court. He was getting close to the courtyard exit, but some kids from higher ground threw pebbles and larger rocks at him. Josh dodged them before running out the exit door.

_"(See you later, agitator! Just leave us alone!) Deception! An outrage! Disgrace! For shame!"_

Josh was soon out of the exit door and he was running for his life, while tears were spilling from his eyes.

_"(Traitor, go back with your own!) He asked for trouble the moment he came! (See you later, agitator)"_

Back on top of the balcony, Luke was watching Josh run, and while his face was angry, he was feeling beyond angry on the inside. Josh was still running, tripping over rocks and stumbling through wooded areas. Pebbles and rocks were still begin thrown at him with slingshots and he was hit a few times, but Josh refused to talk back, because he knew it would be pointless.

_"Born in grief. Raised in hate. Helpless to defy his fate. Let him run. Let him live. But do not forget what we cannot forgive!"_

He fell into the water of a nearby puddle that had been created from rain a while back; it was a pretty big puddle. Josh did not mind he was getting wet, but he looked back to see Luke glaring at him, and saw that everyone else was also glaring at him. They were all making sure he got out and stayed out for the rest of his life.

_"And he is not one of us! He has never been one of us!"_

Kaarii once again tried to go after him, but not only did more guards go in front of her, but Luke also stood in front of her to make sure Josh left. He noticed Josh had stopped. Everyone else all turned their noses up in anger and hatred at Josh, as they all thought he had turned traitor on Luke.

_"He is not part of us! Not our kind!"_

Seeing all the rage and animosity they had against him, Josh's face became sad, and tears were about to fall. He looked into the water, only to see that his reflection became that of Kare's. Seeing this, his tears leaked out and he ran off.

_"Someone once lied to us. Now we're not so blind."_

Running through the puddle and making it to the other side, he was on the outskirts of the palace area, and he stood up on a hill where the wind blew in his hair. He looked back and saw that no one had moved, and Luke's eyes were still drilling hate into him.

_"For we knew he would do what he's done. And we know that he'll never be one of us."_

Seeing no other choice, Josh let his tears fall as he turned his back and left, as he saw that he was hated both in his family and, quite possibly, the one girl who had showed him happiness and fun.

_"He is not one of us!"_

Faces of the people appeared beside him as he walked away, repeating, _"Deception. Disgrace."_

Kaarii's distraught, near-crying face was in the sunset; her face fell as she saw Josh was gone.

_"Deception. Disgrace. Deception…"_ Luke's face was in the sky, and he turned away, angry.

Josh started to cry silently, letting tears go, before running off over the horizon, not looking back; he was thinking, _'I'm hated here; I'm hated by my own family! Where can I go where no one will judge me based on background! I'll bet even Kaarii is angry with me!'_

Poochi was sitting on a rock nearby; he had seen the whole thing, and his face fell, as he knew Josh was not involved with the planning of the ambush.

Back at the palace balcony, Luke was staring off into the distance where Josh had run off.

"Daddy! Please, rethink this!" Kaarii said, as she approached her father.

"You're not allowed off palace grounds without an escort from here on in." Luke merely said.

"No, that isn't…" Kaarii began to protest, but...

"He used you to get to me!" Luke told his daughter, looking her in the face.

"You're wrong! He _loves_ me! For _ME!"_ Kaarii said, as she knew the truth.

"Because you are _MY_ daughter," Luke said, turning on Kaarii. "You're going to stay in the palace, where I can keep tabs on you. Away from him!"

"You don't _know_ him!" Kaarii said, about to break down into tears.

Turning his back on Kaarii, he said, "I _know_ that he's following in Kare's footsteps! And _I _need to follow in my father's."

Tears about to spill, Kaarii shouted, "You will NEVER be Grandpa Bruce! _**EVER!**_"

Hearing this, Luke's face became shocked as he looked back at Kaarii; tears falling, Kaarii ran back inside the palace, and into her bedroom. She slammed the door shut and collapsed on her bed, devastated that the boy she loved was gone.

She noticed that light was shinning into her bedroom; it was the window. She saw that it was the window that was part of the secret doorway that was built into the room. It connected her bedroom to the outside wall of the palace. Kaarii was told by some of the palace staff never to use that exit unless it was an emergency.

Kaarii's eyes narrowed, as she _knew_ that finding Josh and bringing him back _was_ an emergency. Pressing a button on the wall, the secret door opened, and revealed the back courtyard. She decided to escape the palace the back way to go and find Josh. Leaving out the door, she pushed another button, which caused the door to silently shut and she soon ran out of the palace grounds.

She looked around, making sure her father was not watching, and she took off. She was running through the grass and soon made it to the part of the outer grasslands, where she practiced her archery hunting with Josh.

"Josh?" Kaarii called, but she saw he was not there. She kept looking around the area, making sure that he was there, but he was not. She jumped into the water, sadly.

She looked down and saw only half of her reflection was in the water. She shook this off, however, and she ran over to the area where the two of them hid when they were chased by the cougars.

"Josh…" Kaarii said sadly, as she saw that Josh was not there, either. She sat down sadly, and was on the verge of sobbing.

Kaarii kept looking around for Josh, even into the darkness of the night.

_"In a perfect world. One we've never known… We would never need to face the world alone."_

She was in the grasslands again, and she saw two doves flying together in romantic harmony. She looked up and saw them fly away together, but she merely put her head down and kept walking, trying to find Josh. She saw a herd of deer together, and saw one pair separate and flirt with each other. Kaarii turned away, not wanting to see it.

_"They can have the world. We'll create our own. I may not be brave, or strong, or smart, but somewhere in my secret heart…"_

She came into a forested area, and saw a pair of butterflies fluttering around. She also saw a river with a rocky area, and Kaarii also noticed that almost every creature in the forest was in a pair. Sort of like socks: one could not have a pair without the other. Kaarii looked around, trying to find some kind of clue to find Josh.

_"I know love will find a way. Anywhere I go, I'm home, if you are there beside me. Like dark turning into day… Somehow we'll come through, now that I've found you… Love will find a way."_

Kaarii ran into a clearing in the woods, and looked up to the sky to see the two constellations she and Josh pointed out together the night before. She sat down on the grass only to see her reflection in the water again; like before, she saw that only half her reflection was there. A leaf fell onto her reflection, and it became distorted. Kaarii stood back up, frustrated; she saw some bushes rustling near the water, and she smiled, hoping that it was Josh. She was disappointed when a frog came out of the grass and just hopped into the water. Kaarii shook her head and walked away.

Kaarii sat on a bench on top of a hill in another part of the kingdom, near the outskirts of it, and she was about to sob.

_"I was so afraid. Now I realize, love is never wrong. And so it never dies. There's a perfect world, shinning in your eyes."_

A few meters behind her, Josh was watching her; he had a sad look on his face, as he knew how the poor girl felt. However, Josh smiled, as he recognized that the girl in front of him was Kaarii, the one he loved so much. He took a few steps towards her, trying to get closer. Kaarii heard him, and she turned around. Her face lit up and her eyes started to fill with tears of joy at seeing Josh again.

_"And if only they could feel it, too. The happiness I feel with you, they'd know love will find a way."_

They kept looking at each other, so happy to be reunited, and they each knew that they were meant to be with one another. Kaarii, so happy to see him, ran at him; Josh understood, and he also ran towards Kaarii, as well. The two embraced each other in a big hug, happy to see each other again.

_"Anywhere we go, we're home, if we are there together."_

Kaarii kissed Josh before teasing him by running off. Josh took this hint and he took after Kaarii; they were kicking sand at each other, and they were soon holding hands while walking through the hills.

_"Like dark turning into day. Somehow we'll come through, now that I've found you. Love will find a way."_

They soon stopped at one spot, and they were so happy to be with each other once again. Josh showed Kaarii a budding plant in the dirt, and the two looked at each other, happily.

_"I know love will find a way."_

The wind generated by Bruce was swirling around them, as they were sharing a happy embrace. They stayed like that, with the ash around them being blown away into a big heart, but this was something Kaarii and Josh failed to notice. Or they probably did, but were too focused on each other at the moment.

They broke the embrace, and looked into each other's eyes; Josh saw a pair of butterflies fly past them, and he said, "Hey…"

He left Kaarii's side, confusing her, and he was laughing as he chased the butterflies, while being followed by Bruce's breeze.

Kaarii followed him, also laughing, and after a little while, they were playing, and tumbling into the grass, before finally stopping and laughing with each other near a pond. Kaarii was lying next to Josh, and sitting on her knees, while Josh was lying on his side. He kissed Kaarii's cheek, but he noticed something in the water.

"Hey, take a look," Josh said, pointing out that his reflection had merged with Kaarii's in the water. "We are one."

Kaarii smiled, noticing it, too, but when she ran through her mind that Josh said 'We are one' that reminded her of what her father told her as a child.

"What was that…?" Kaarii said, remembering her father's words.

Josh's face lit up, as he had an idea; he told Kaarii, "Let's blow this hateful place. We'll elope! And start a family and a kingdom of our very own!"

Kaarii laughed at Josh's idea; while she liked it, she went back into Josh's arms, and she said, "Josh… I know you don't want to hear this, but we need to go back."

Josh was surprised to hear Kaarii say this, and he protested, telling her, "You're joking; we're finally together!"

"Listen," Kaarii said, still smiling. "Our role is to bring our families together under one kingdom."

Josh started to listen carefully to Kaarii's words as he thought about this.

"The division between them is going to be permanent if we just disappear without a word." Kaarii explained.

Josh thought about what Kaarii was saying, and he soon realized something: she was right.

Back with Berserk, Bellicose, and the other Punklanders, they were heading into the Powerlands by sneaking in; they swam under the surface of the water in the river that separated the two lands; they came out of the water on the other side, in the Powerlands, but they were all covered in mud from the bottom of the river floor. They were slowly walking, continuing their plan to overthrow Luke. Above them and ahead, lightning was flashing and thunder was rumbling, implying a thunderstorm.

Back at the palace, the weather was pretty bad there; the thunder and lightning was actually a lot closer. In fact, it was actually raining at that point.

Inside the palace, Rikiya and Takaaki were freaking out; they had already found out that Kaarii was gone.

"I don't believe this!" Rikiya said. "We lost her again! How many times is that, now? Eight hundred?"

"I think eight _thousand_, Rikiya." Takaaki said.

"I thought you were going to watch her!" Rikiya said, turning on Takaaki.

"I thought that it was going to be you?" Takaaki replied.

However, the two began bickering and arguing again, and within seconds of their banter, they ended up in something of a wrestling match, with Takaaki on top of Rikiya.

What they did not notice was that Luke had come in from the rain; he was all wet from it. He took a towel and dried his hair before coming in closer to see the boys; he saw that Takaaki was in a headlock.

"What are you two up to?" Luke asked.

The boys got out of their wrestling match and they were soon lying on the floor.

"Um, good question," Takaaki said. "How about we ask you one?"

"A very hypothetical one." Rikiya said.

"Okay, there's this man…" Takaaki began.

"But he isn't a royal." Rikiya continued, shaking his head.

"No, no, he isn't a royal," Takaaki said, before shuddering; this got an amused smile from Luke. "_Definitely _not a royal. And his daughter, say… Went AWOL."

"You mean to tell me that Kaarii's gone?!" Luke shouted.

Ken came in, freaking out, and he shouted, "Sire! The Punklanders are on the attack; they're on the way over here! It's _WAR!_"

"Ken, find Kaarii! We'll get the guards," Luke said. "Let's move it!"

"Right!" Takaaki said, as he and Rikiya followed Luke out into the rain.

In an isolated area, the Punklanders were making their way to the palace. There were little kids and some of their parents running to get out of the way of the fight. Luke, along with Takaaki, Rikiya, and the guards, were coming from the other side, all ready to fight. They were not about to let the Punklanders take over.

More citizens that had gotten caught up into e rain ran out of the way; they knew better than to get caught in the middle of a violent fight, especially with the king involved.

More people were running and getting away from the "danger zone" to avoid getting hurt.

In the rain, Kaarii and Luke were running towards the scene of the fight to stop everyone from killing each other. They were coming to a gorge with water being built up behind rocks, and the battlefield was across the gorge.

In the battlefield, more innocents were running away and trying to avoid getting caught in the crossfire of the fight. Helicopters that saw the action down below were flying overhead.

The Punklanders soon got into position on their side of the battlefield, with Berserk on higher ground that was more elevated when compared to that of her comrades.

On the other side of the field, Luke was in front of the guards while Takaaki and Rikiya were making teasing gestures while saying, "Nya, nya, nya, nya, nya!"

"It ends now, Luke!" Berserk shouted; no one on the battlefield seemed to mind that they were getting wet, but then again, the situation they were in proved otherwise. "There's nothing else I've dreamed about for years!"

"She needs a hobby…" Takaaki muttered.

"Agreed." Rikiya said; the pair shared a high-five.

"This is your last chance, Berserk. GO HOME." Luke said, trying to get the Punklanders to go quietly.

"On the contrary; this _is_ home," Berserk said; on cue, lightning flashed and thunder roared at what she said. "_ATTACK!_"

As lightning kept going, both groups of soldiers ran at each other to get to the fight.

Everyone was tackling an opponent; a Powerlander against a Punklander. There was biting, kicking, punching, and everything. It would not stop any time soon.

"Go for the eyes! Tackle them low! Break their jaws! Get them! Do what you must!" Berserk shouted, with each command happening as if on cue no matter what; tears were shed as people were punched in the eyes, others were knocked down while getting hit in the mouths, and fighting of all types was happening.

From the other side of the gorge, Kaarii and Josh, soaking wet, were watching everything go down and they were looking at the scene in worry. They knew they had to get to the other side of the gorge to stop the fight.

"I know a shortcut! This way!" Kaarii said, as she led the way to the "bridge" that was formed by the rocks holding the water back like a dam.

Fighting of all kinds was still going on, while Takaaki and Rikiya were trying to stay out of the fight.

"What are we going to do?" Takaaki asked.

"Only one thing: when the going gets tough, the tough get going. That's our motto!" Rikiya said.

"Wasn't our motto "Hakuna Matata"?" Takaaki asked.

"That was then, this is now," Rikiya said, slapping his head. "Let's go!"

The pair started to run into the fight; they did not even care that they were outnumbered. Even with a glare from the other Punklanders, the boys did not give up the fight.

They started to tackle and punch the Punklanders, too.

"Watch your step!" Kaarii said, as she and Josh were cautiously making their way over to the other side of the gorge to stop the feuding groups from hurting each other.

"Don't worry!" Josh said, as he and Kaarii held hands to get across the water.

From up on top of the rock at the battlefield, Bellicose was looking down on Momoko, who was also in her battle gear, and in the fight.

"Where's your pretty daughter, Momoko?" Bellicose asked, albeit evilly.

"Bellicose!" Momoko shouted; the two women got started in their fight, landing in a puddle while brawling.

Takaaki and Rikiya were cornered and they were cowering, not sure what to do; all of the female Punklanders were glaring at them, ready to attack the two men.

However, noticing Takaaki's ungloved hand, Rikiya got an idea.

"No one move!" Rikiya shouted, showing Takaaki's hand to the group. "This thing's loaded! Don't make me let you have it!"

As if they knew what was coming, the girls squealed in fright before running off.

"Nice work!" Takaaki said, before giving Rikiya a high-five.

Berserk was cackling evilly as she saw that Luke was being taken down.

"Luke!" Berserk shouted, as she hopped down from atop the rock and started to approach. "You're _mine!_"

Luke threw his attackers off him and threw a punch at a few of them, only for Berserk to deck him and he fell on his back. Noticing this, everyone stopped and started to watch.

Luke got up and Berserk was ready to fight. The two adults started walking and repositioning themselves for a real brawl. The each raised their hands, ready to fight, when...

Thunder clapped, and Kaarii and Josh came between the two fighting adults, back to back, and their arms spread out. Kaarii was blocking her father while Josh was doing the same for his mother.

"Kaarii?" Luke said, surprised; Kaarii narrowed her eyes, almost as if trying to stare her father down.

"Josh!" Berserk shouted; Josh merely gave Berserk a glare and narrowed his eyes, as well. "Move…"

"Stand aside." Luke said.

"Father, this ends _now_." Kaarii said, referring to the fighting between the two groups. This statement surprised Luke.

"You're _weaker_ than I thought you were! Out of the way!" Berserk shouted at Josh.

"No! You're not going to hurt Kaarii! Not Luke, either! Not so long as _I'm _around!" Josh said, cracking his knuckles.

This earned him a growl from Berserk, who was dead-set on killing Luke.

"You keep your nose out of this." Luke said to Kaarii.

Kaarii merely gave Luke a 'stop' gesture with her hand, and said, "You once told me 'we are one'. Back then, I hadn't a clue what you meant, but that changed today. I understand."

"But… They…" Luke began, but...

"Them? Us. Just take a look at them; they _are_ us," Kaarii said, as she gestured to the Punklanders. "Do you see any differences that I fail to pick up?"

Hearing what she was saying, Bellicose's face changed into that of understanding. Luke looked around and saw Kaarii was right. The rain started to clear up as Luke saw his daughter smile and he smiled in reply; father and daughter hugged each other, as the sun started to peak through the clouds.

"Bellicose, _NOW_!" Berserk said, commanding her daughter to attack.

"No, mother," Bellicose said, surprising Berserk, and even Josh; Bellicose flipped her script. "Kaarii… She's right."

Bellicose then walked over to Josh's side, and turned around to face her mother before telling her, "Enough is enough."

Some of the other Punklanders were looking at each other; they were starting to clue in.

"If you won't fight, then you'll perish, too." Berserk said, with a wicked smile.

Hearing their leader threaten death to her own daughter, the disgusted Punklanders started to make their way over to Luke side.

Seeing this, Berserk demanded, "Where are you going?! Get back here!"

"Let it go, Berserk," Luke said. "We've been living in the past too long."

"No! I'll _NEVER_ let this slide!" Berserk said; she had lost it.

Luke heard cracking noises and saw a few more boulders float down the river and bump into the 'dam'.

"This is for you, Kare!" Berserk said, before lunging at Luke.

Kaarii tackled Berserk in response, but the two women were tumbling, and they fell off the cliff.

"Kaarii!" Luke shouted, as he, Momoko, and Josh ran to the side of the cliff where the two girls were split as they tumbled down the side of the cliff.

"Kaarii!" Josh shouted.

Luke ran down the side of the cliff to go and save Kaarii, but she and Berserk were tumbling down the steep slope and having a hard time staying balanced.

Luke kept trying to find a safe route to save Kaarii.

Kaarii was on top of some safer ground while Berserk was literally hanging on to her life, as she was using her fingernails to dig into the earth and keep herself from falling into the smaller part of the river.

"Hang on, Kaarii!" Momoko said, but she heard cracking and saw that the 'dam' broke and water started to flood. "No. Luke, the river!"

Luke saw what Momoko was talking about, and Luke soon jumped up and got to higher ground.

As the water was rushing down, Kaarii saw Berserk needed help, and she reached out her hand to Berserk, telling her, "Berserk, give me your hand."

Berserk merely slashed at Kaarii, but she dodged it, and still kept her hand out to help Berserk; Berserk slipped for a second, before getting her grip back.

"Berserk, please…" Kaarii said, as Berserk was starting to slip, and rushing water was going wild below. "I'll help you."

However, Berserk kept slipping until she fell into the water below. Kaarii watched in horror as she saw Berserk's hand become submerged in water. As the river drained, and it got lower, Berserk was gone.

Josh was choked up as he saw this: he lost his mother and his older brother all in such a short amount of time. He saw his mother's loss as less of a deal than Bosco's, however.

Kaarii sighed, and soon, her father was above her.

"Kaarii…" Luke said, as he held out his hand to his daughter.

"Dad… I tried." Kaarii said, as her father helped her get back up onto the cliff.

"Kaarii!" Momoko said, as she hugged her daughter.

Everyone gathered around to cheer for Kaarii, and Takaaki said, "Wow! That was so brave!"

Kaarii approached Josh, who was smiling, and she said, "Josh."

"Oh, Kaarii!" Josh said, as he hugged Kaarii with love.

"Josh?" Luke said, as he saw the banter; Josh approached the king. "I was wrong about you; you belong here."

Seeing everyone, Punklanders included, gather around, Luke said, "Let's go home. _Everyone_."

The next day at the palace, Kaarii and Josh, in white, formal clothing, fit for a wedding, were out on the balcony, holding hands with each other. Josh was in a white military jacket with gold epaulets and buttons, while Kaarii was in a champagne-pink wedding dress. They had just sealed their vows, and were close to having their wedding kiss.

Kaarii looked at her father, who was smiling at the pair, and soon, Momoko had her arm wrapped around her king's.

Kaarii and Josh sealed their promise with a kiss and the newlyweds were presented to everyone inside and outside of the palace of the kingdom.

"I love moments like this!" Takaaki said, crying tears of joy.

"Totally." Rikiya said, before the boys started to shed tears of their own.

Kaarii and Josh were in each other's embrace while everyone was cheering for them. Confetti was being thrown, and people were just so happy to see their princess living her fairytale dream of being with the man she loved.

The wind started to blow, and Luke looked up to see the breeze that his father's spirit created.

_"Well done, my son… We are one."_ Bruce's voice said.

Luke felt the breeze in his hair, and Poochi smiled up to the sky: Bruce's plan worked.

* * *

**And that's a wrap! That took a while, didn't it? I know that it wasn't like the actual movie, but its hard to put non-anthropomorphic animals in the shoes of humans, so I had a lot of changes to make. If this were Disney's "Robin Hood" that might have been a bit easier. So, I hope you liked it. **


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